A Trickery With A Twist
by ArwenFairTinuviel
Summary: A fun story set in April of HBP after Harry learns about Horcruxes. As Harry grows closer to Ginny, Dumbledore offers Harry and his friends a private class in a special kind of advanced defensive magic, just in time before they must face up to another of Draco's dangerous schemes. Little does Harry know just what this joint magic means to Severus Snape...
1. Chapter 1

**A Trickery With A Twist**

**I have written this story for my friend Rhi (Tonks42) who is the kindest person I know and an amazing singer!**

Chapter 1

The sunlight was streaming through the mist of April showers on Sunday morning as Harry walked down to the Quidditch pitch with Ron and Hermione. The gold edging of Harry's Quidditch robes gleamed as if with a yellow fire and the raindrops that had settled in his black hair were glistening.

"What's your plan for today's practice?" Ron asked Harry, his broom slung over his shoulder. Their feet kicked the long lush grass, soaking the hem of their robes dark scarlet. This perfect weather for flying was such a change to the recent winter gales that Harry had organised a late-notice practice for the Gryffindor team.

"Scoring and goal-keeping training?" Ron suggested. "Or do you want to do more of that bludger dodging so that Malfoy gets knocked off his broom instead of you?" Ron grinned while Hermione looked on disapprovingly.

"I don't think you-" she started.

They all stopped at the entrance to the changing rooms, listening to a thunderous bickering that was issuing from within. Hermione turned back to Ron and Harry, with a look on her face that suggested she was about to let loose a nasty criticism of Quidditch and the antagonism it provoked, but Ron got in first. "Well, have fun doing your Ancient Runes translation. And don't forget to cheer when I make a save!"

Hermione gave a sniff and looked at the bright sky behind both Harry and Ron's heads scornfully. "See you later," she said tersely and marched off into the blinding sunlight towards the Quidditch stands.

Ron turned to Harry. "What?" he said. "Does she not think I'll save anything? Who does she think she is? It's not as if she's any good at Quidditch!"

Before Harry could explain there was a swish of long flaming hair before his eyes as someone ran out the door. "Harry!"

Ginny smiled at him in relief. Harry's breath shot up his throat so fast that he broke into a violent coughing fit which he tried to suppress.

"Thank Merlin you've finally come! Everyone apart from me was thinking you weren't turning up!"

"N-no…" stumbled Harry, finding himself led inside by Ginny, Ron ducking under the doorway. His suppressions were only making matters worse. He now sounded like a balloon with asthma.

Harry led the team outside, trying to explain the plan for the practice while Ron slapped him hard on the back. The two beaters brought out the weather-beaten chest containing the Quaffle, two bludgers and the snitch, and kicked it open. By the time Harry's eyes had stopped watering, the snitch had vanished completely, and the zooming bludgers were posing a more imminent threat.

Over the course of the morning, the blindingly white clouds receded, leaving blue sky in their place. After all the recent rain, the stadium below Harry looked very green and the golden hoops looked as if they were glazed. Since Ron had been so keen (and Hermione was watching) the team practiced some simple goal scoring, and it gave Harry the chance to cruise lazily above and watch each of his players carefully.

Harry was finding himself entranced in watching a certain chaser as she swerved in between the beaters and past the keeper, her red hair flying out behind her as she scored goal after goal. Ron, meanwhile, was looking slightly less keen now compared to earlier, but he cheered up massively when Harry was struck by a bludger while he was looking… elsewhere.

"Pay attention, Harry!" Ron yelled amidst his laughter. Harry made a face back at him, rubbing to his bruised arm, but Ron merely added, "Shouldn't you be searching for the snitch?"

With a jolt Harry realised that he hadn't been concentrating for some time, and he soared off around the stadium; but his eyes still drifted back periodically to the group by the three goal hoops.

It was only when Dean was starting to complain about a grumbling stomach that Harry realised lunchtime must be approaching, and he still hadn't found the snitch. In the end, Harry was being so useless that all the other team members were looking for the snitch with him so that they could go to lunch. Harry drifted along after Ginny, as she made a fair Seeker.

"I can't believe you haven't found it! I'll have to take over as Seeker from you!" she joked, glancing around.

All of a sudden a golden blur whipped past Ginny's face towards Harry and they both caught sight of it at the same time.

"There it is!" she exclaimed excitedly and immediately bolted at top speed after it, straight into Harry, whose fist had already closed around the struggling ball. Ginny smacked into Harry's chest and the impact threw her backwards off her broomstick. Her left hand locked around the broom handle, but it was now diving vertically downwards like a bolt of lightning, pulling Ginny to the ground even faster than she would have just by falling.

At once Harry went down into a sharp dive and plummeted straight after Ginny's swirling red robes, feeling nauseous. Ginny was struggling to grasp her broom evenly, but couldn't. Harry wondered if Hermione would see and be able to stop Ginny hitting the ground, like Dumbledore could.

Harry drove his Firebolt on as fast as he could and they were only a few feet from the ground when he caught up and threw out his arm just in time to catch Ginny around the waist, but they were so close to crashing that he wondered if it would even be possible to pull up again in time. His heart was ramming against his ribcage.

Yet at that very moment, Harry was shocked to see that streaks of pale blue light shot out around them and interlocked like branches, forming a pale orb enclosing him and Ginny. Just as the ground came so dangerously close that Harry was convinced that they would crash, the half-visible globe in which they were encaged seemed to rebound and Harry felt his Firebolt pull him and Ginny firmly upwards.

Harry blinked fiercely as they soared rapidly up into the sky, straining to make out the blue fiery tongues around them. He wondered if Ginny had noticed, but she was presently hanging upside down, her hair grazing the rim of the sphere, seemingly quite unperturbed until she gave a cry as a purple furry blob burst out of the folds of her robes. She stretched out her free hand to reach what Harry realised was Arnold, but she missed, and the pygmy puff plummeted downwards.

Yet strangely the purple puffskein seemed to stop in mid-air where the globe encircled them and miraculously Ginny was then able to catch Arnold, just like a snitch. Harry heard some of his teammates shouting as they zoomed over to help and together they managed to pull Ginny up from her precarious swinging onto the length of her broomstick. When she had gained control of her broom, they all changed course and slowly cruised down at a safe speed to where the tight cluster of remaining red-robed Gryiffindors were anxiously calling up to them.

"Thanks, Harry," Ginny gasped, flushing heavily as she landed lightly next to Ron, who looked rather sick with worry.

"It was… nothing," Harry gasped, climbing off his broom shakily. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ginny waved the worry away as if she had only dropped a knut, not herself. "I'm fine."

Ron stared at her as if she was mad. Ginny grinned and tried to tame her extremely windswept hair. She seemed much more confident now that she was back on the ground, standing on her own two feet.

"Let's end today's session there," Harry suggested, and all the other players were quick to agree and ask Ginny what had happened. Ginny seemed to say it was her fault for not seeing Harry, but Harry knew it was his fault for tailing her so closely. He then wondered what Hermione would say at his foolish behaviour and a distinct queasiness consumed his insides again.

Harry warily searched the stands for Hermione, but then noticed that she was already talking with Ron. With a wave of relief, Harry saw that she was smiling… she didn't look at all in the bad mood she could have been incensed in.

Harry approached her and Hermione looked up. "Oh, hello!" she said, folding a scroll of parchment away into her robes. An accusatory frown shadowed her eyes. "I think you should learn to judge distances, Harry," she told him and gave him a meaningful stare. "…How far you can go."

Harry glanced down sheepishly, but immediately Ginny joined them, protesting. "Don't you go telling him off, Hermione!" she said. "If Harry had not been so near to me, I would have fallen to the ground." She smiled at him gratefully. "I'm going to see if Arnold's okay before I go to lunch… see you around, Harry."

Hermione didn't argue with Ginny but she kept an eye on Harry as they wandered back up the grassy slopes to the castle. Harry forced himself not to look back at Ginny.

"Did you actually see Ginny fall?" he asked her, wondering if she had seen the strange sphere of blue light that had surrounded them. He glanced around but there was no sign of it now. He began to think he had imagined it. Everything had happened so very quickly…

"No – but I saw you helping her back onto her broom," Hermione said sternly. Then her eyes lit up. "I was sent this letter, look!" She brought out the scroll. "_Harry_! Look! It's from Dumbledore!"

Harry was immediately interested. "Is it about my next meeting with him? Or the Horcruxes – is it about them?"

Hermione's face fell slightly. "No… but Dumbledore wants to see me! I'm so excited! It's about - _Vallati_!" she breathed.

"What's that?" Harry and Ron both said simultaneously.

"Well, I don't know exactly," Hermione was speaking really fast, her hands shaking with enthusiasm, "but I do know that it's really advanced magic and some Aurors use it! Dumbledore must think I am good enough and want to teach it to me!"

"Cool!" said Harry. Ron smiled and met Hermione's eyes. She looked away hurriedly when she realised Harry was watching.

"Harry!" Hermione suddenly hissed, tugging his sleeve. She pointed as Draco Malfoy swished past them, glaring at them. Once he was out of earshot, Hermione began talking again.

"He was in the stands!" she whispered animatedly. "He came along just after you started playing, and he was watching right until you finished!"

"What?" Ron and Harry said simultaneously.

"I know!" squeaked Hermione. "I don't know what he's up to, but – Harry," her face suddenly became really serious. "Harry – I do think you're right. I think Malfoy is up to something…!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – The Truth of Vallati

After lunch, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were all inspecting Arnold, Ginny's pygmy puff. He had suffered a strange change in appearance since his fall.

"Do you think he is in shock?" asked Hermione in concern, examining his purple fur, which, instead of its usual organised silky composure, was now sticking up on end and twice as long.

"I don't think so," said Ginny cheerfully.

"At least he wasn't hit by a bat," Ron scowled remorsefully. "Wouldn't be the first time it's happened when a puffskein has been flying through the air in my family."

"I _told _you, Ronald," said Ginny imperiously, "I'm not related to you or our brothers or our parents."

"I'm certainly not related to you," Ron retorted sourly.

Hermione turned her head and gave them a sharp glare. "If you don't mind, I'm trying to help Arnold here, and some peace and quiet would help!"

Harry watched as both Ginny and Ron separately made faces to him, but were silent as Hermione tried to do the scouring charm she had seen performed so many times on Harry's hair by Mrs Weasley.

"It's no use!" she said after many attempts, throwing her wand down. "Oh! I have to go!" she exclaimed, looking at her watch. In a flurry she scooped up her wand, five Ancient Runes books and her cloak and swept away.

"Where did Hermione go?" Ginny asked. Harry opened his mouth to explain about the letter from Dumbledore but Ron overrode him.

"Do you want to play a game of Wizard's Chess?" he asked Harry. Harry weighed up trying to straighten Arnold's hair, or playing chess. Chess won.

However Ron seemed to have lost what ounce of concentration he had very quickly, and after fifteen minutes, he was spectacularly losing to a triumphant Harry.

"Must go," Ron announced, picking on his Quidditch dragon-skin gloves. "You can keep the set for now."

"You can't leave in the middle of a chess game when I'm winning!" protested Harry indignantly, taking Ron to be a bad loser. "I'm usually rubbish! I never get to win!"

"Sorry, Harry," said Ron, looking apologetic, "but I said I'd go in quarter of an hour."

"Where? Who are you seeing?" demanded Ginny. But Ron simply waved and walked out into the entrance hall.

"What a strange boy…" Ginny mused. "I'm so glad I was adopted." Harry laughed. Ginny smiled at him and moved the chess board around. "I'll play with you."

Somehow, in every move, Ginny managed to lose a piece to Harry's warmongering players, even though Harry learnt to desperately try _not_ to after a few minutes. However, it seemed as if every turn, he was left no choice but to destroy one of at least three possible pieces.

In ten minutes, the chessboard was coated in waving black pieces standing in what looked like white sand. Ginny's robes were also wearing a fine layer of her players which had been bashed to smithereens.

"See, you're not rubbish!" she told Harry, who was lending a hand in cleaning up the remains of the white pieces. "Where did Hermione go?" she asked for the second time.

"Oh," said Harry. "I think she was going to Dumbledore. He sent her a letter about him teaching her about Vallati. Do you know what they are?"

Ginny's mouth dropped open. "Are you serious?" Her voice fell to a whisper. "Only someone from a wizarding family would have heard of them, and only a few families at that. Harry, Vallati were used last time You-Know-Who was in power. People in the Order of the Phoenix used them."

"But what actually _are_ they?" said Harry in a low voice.

"It's a form of joint magic, where two wizards or witches act together." At a look of confusion on Harry's face, she tried to explain to him. "You remember when you told us what happened to you when your wand and Voldemort's joined by gold threads?" Harry nodded. "Well, it's similar to that, except obviously you're not attacking each other."

Ginny sighed tiredly and flicked a lump of a pawn off her sleeve. "It's hard to explain when I don't really know. Mum and Dad don't like us talking about stuff when You-Know-Who was around." She paused. "All I know is, it's bound to involve some really hard incantation, because a really strong protection forms around the two people. Oh, it also involves flying on brooms."

Ginny saw Harry perk up a lot at that. "Well, you know when your wands met it was because of the core or the magic that's inside it? It's similar with the brooms; I don't think the protection can form if you're on the ground."

"Wow!" said Harry, clearly impressed. "That sounds brilliant!" His two favourite things – flying and defensive magic – creating a Vallatus sounded like the most exciting thing ever.

"Yeah," said Ginny, a little wistfully. "But it looks like Hermione's the one who's been asked, not us."

"Hmmm…." Then as Harry thought about it, he realised: there had to be two people, Hermione couldn't do it by herself, as amazing at magic as she was. And Dumbledore would be teaching, not actually doing it himself. If he asked her, maybe they could do it together!

"I've got to go," Harry said suddenly, jumping up. He would go along to Dumbledore's office now, and ask Hermione right away. Ginny glanced up forlornly.

"Oh, okay… well, I'll come to the fourth floor with you, and then go back up to Gryffindor tower to see if anyone can help Arnold there."

She hurried after Harry, who already had his mind set elsewhere. By the time Ginny had parted from him, he was beginning to feel a bubbling excitement. He and Hermione would be the perfect pair – he would be fantastic at the broomstick part, and she would be awesome at the magic part. If Vallati really did involve joint-magic, they would be so brilliant, no one would be able to withstand them, they would be-

"Harry!"

Hermione and Ron were walking towards him down the corridor. Harry smiled.

"You look happy!" he said. Hermione's smile broadened. "Listen," whispered Harry, beginning to wish that Ron wasn't there, "do you want to learn how to do Vallati with me? I know you need someone…"

Immediately Harry knew it was the wrong thing to say. Hermione's smile fell and her eyes became sorrowful.

"Oh Harry, I'm really really sorry, but- oh, I can't..." She twisted her fingers and looked guiltily between him and Ron.

"Oh," said Harry, slightly shocked. "Oh, right."

"Err… I should be going," Hermione said nervously, pointing towards the Gryffindor tower. "See you later… I'm really sorry Harry," she apologised again, looking as if she might cry.

"Don't worry," muttered Harry. He looked down. "Ron?"

"Yeah?" Harry looked up at his best friend. Couldn't they ask Dumbledore if they could be taught about Vallati together too? He knew Hermione was an exceptional witch, but surely, after all they had been through Dumbledore would think them worthy… and they were such good mates they would work well together as a team…

"Do you want to be taught Vallati with me? We could ask Dumbledore - we'd probably be great together, you know, all that flying we've done, and defensive magic we did in the DA and in the ministry…" Harry trailed off.

Ron looked up at the ceiling and pulled a face. "Uh… umm…" he made a lot of indecisive and indiscernible noises and shrugged his shoulders. At Harry's raised-eyebrow-look, he mumbled "…No, not really…" and shook his head.

Harry frowned. "Why not?" he said, unable to understand at all why his friend was rejecting him after all the fighting against Death Eaters and such like they had done together.

Ron's eyes travelled down the corridor to where Hermione was poised at the top of the staircase, one hand on the rail, watching. "She asked me," he said simply, still avoiding Harry's eyes.

"Oh," said Harry.

"Yeah," said Ron.

Hermione gave what was either a squeak or a sob, but it wasn't clear what exactly it was.

"Well… I should go," said Harry, not wanting to look at Hermione or Ron. He wasn't angry, he wasn't annoyed. He was just hurt.

"Sorry, mate," Ron said quietly, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry could hear Hermione shifting about on the stairs, unsure what to do.

He shrugged Ron's hand away and turned his back on his friends.

"You had better start practising," he said, his voice echoing tonelessly from his hollow throat. "You'll be needing it when _you_ have to kill Voldemort."

Harry walked away, trying to ignore the tears stinging his eyes, and to block out the stunned silence of Ron and Hermione as he revealed to them his painful fate.

All of a sudden, the world seemed a rather painful place. Right now, a true friend would have made all the difference.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – The Other Prophecy

Harry was determined to go to Dumbledore that instant, even more determined than he had been before. He had to find out more about these Vallati, and why it was only Hermione, and, he thought slightly agonizingly, Ron, who Dumbledore was going to teach them to.

Harry was just about to say "chocolate raisins" to the huge gargoyle concealing the stairs up to Dumbledore's office, but before he could even begin to speak, the gargoyle leapt aside. Harry blinked in surprise and wondered hopefully if he had _finally_ mastered casting non-verbal spells.

Before he could ponder this joyous marvel any further, however, a very strange sight appeared from the hollow that the gargoyle had just vacated. Shawls trembling, glass beads chattering, huge round glasses askew, a jittery Professor Trelawney stumbled down the steps, muttering incessantly. Her eyes, magnified to the size of Dobby's, but sharper and darker, flew around the corridor wildly, but seemed not to take in Harry's frozen form. They showed to Harry an omen of fear which even he could see without possession of the "Inner Eye", and this seemed to be even more likely from the wildness of her hair sticking up as if electrified. Strands flew around in the air as she trembled and Harry would not have been surprised to see sparks of blue shooting out of the wiry ends.

But what Harry could not believe even more than this was the tea cup and saucer which she held rattling in her hands. As her shudders became increasingly more violent, and the clatters of china sounded more and more like cracking, Harry broke out of shock at the strange sight and hurried forward to steady her hands before she completely smashed the china and cut herself.

Like a movement sensor, Professor Trelawney flinched at Harry's sudden movement and stumbled backwards; luckily, Harry arrived just in time to catch her before she tripped over the previous step and he pulled her up straight by the shoulders.

"Professor…" stuttered Harry, "are you alright?"

With the clanking of the teacup and saucer quietening down to the sound of a three-year-old in control of a triangle at a school orchestra, she loomed down at Harry and blinked at him through her magnifying glasses.

"Harry! The omens! The Dark portents! The signs of imminent catastrophe and calamity! They've come! You! -and… and-and h-h-him!"

Harry sighed, rather used to Professor Trelawney's ominous premonitions, but he was surprised to find himself more captivated on this occasion than usual.

The teacup and saucer began to clamour in piercing discord again and Professor Trelawney was quivering before Harry's eyes.

"It's okay, Professor, come with me and we'll sit you down…"

"It's not okay, my boy!" she screeched suddenly. "The forewarning of fulfilment of doom! The presence of evil greater than ever experienced by any of my predecessors! The essence of death and torture! The-"

"Professor! Professor, calm down!" Harry ushered loudly, closing his eyes to gather inner strength. She shut her mouth, clearly much disgruntled, but still more afraid. At this proximity Harry could see the beads of sweat shining all over her reddened cheeks and the crumbs of what appeared to be biscuits skittering all down her silver shawls.

All of a sudden she broke into sobs and her round eyes became luminous with tears.

"No one cares!" she wept, streams now sliding down below the rims of her glasses, falling onto her shawls. "Not even those who it concerns! What respect and ignorance! Fools! Such poor fools, their future lives blackened by Darkness!"

Just as Harry was beginning to worry how he would quieten her down and get rid of her nauseating company, someone came running to his rescue.

"That will do for now, Sybill!" Professor McGonagall rushed to her quivering side and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. She took Professor Trelawney's arm and began to steer her away from Harry, but not before more croaky sobs had escaped from her.

"Doom! –Darkness of death; from Him! HIM!" she gasped throatily.

"That will _do,_" emphasised Professor McGonagall. "Enough for now; I'll take you back to your room and give you another cup of warm tea to calm you down." She pointed her wand at the cup and saucer, and with a flick they rose out of Professor Trelawney's bony hands and started to float along in the air ahead of them so that they would not be shattered.

"Harry…?" Professor McGonagall hissed back over her shoulder, giving him a piercing look that demanded an answer. Harry shrugged, totally clueless, and then realised he ought to be slightly more polite to his Head of House.

"I don't know what happened, Professor, I just found her like this." Professor McGonagall tightened her lips thinly, then turned and marched Trelawney away to her tower, amidst accompanying sobs and indignant speculations. Just as McGonagall was about to propel Trelawney around the corner, she jerked out of the hold with force and spun back round to face Harry.

"Harry…!" she shouted hysterically down the corridor. "Harry, you do not know! You do not know! But it is… he is…" her voice faded away, "…darkness of death…"

Harry stared at her as Professor McGonagall regained grip and yanked her charge out of sight. He had not quite told the truth when he said he didn't know what had happened. A huge sense of curiosity as to her foreboding filled him, and it struck Harry how alike it seemed to when he had seen Trelawney like this once before, and another occasion Dumbledore had described to him at the end of last year.

With these provoking thoughts Harry turned his footsteps back to the gargoyle, which had now shifted back over the staircase. After muttering the password, Harry quickly climbed up the winding steps and knocked briskly on the headmaster's door. It was slightly ajar and at Harry's touch it swung slowly inwards. Harry peered through.

Dumbledore was standing hunched over his desk, his silver hair drooped over his shoulders, his face haggard and drawn. At Harry's appearance he looked up, but not before Harry had noticed two glass balls rolling around very slowly on the desk between his hands.

"Ah, Harry!" Dumbledore put on a smile and seemed cheerful, but Harry was not fooled and knew that Dumbledore was greatly troubled. Harry looked down at the desk to see the fragile objects again, but as he did so he saw Dumbledore sweep an arm over the surface and leave it void of any object.

"You can come in, Harry," Dumbledore suggested, as Harry stood perched on the edge of Dumbledore's domain, thinking hard. Slowly, Harry walked in.

"Sir, I just found Professor Trelawney… sir, she seems to be unwell," he finished.

"Ah." Dumbledore gave a slight nod and Harry took a seat at Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore also resigned to his seat. He gave a huge sigh and Harry noticed how old he seemed, how disturbed he looked. However, he gave no sign of giving an answer soon.

"Sir, what happened?"

Dumbledore turned and gave Harry a deep look. Harry tried not to blink and looked at him enquiringly. Dumbledore spoke at last.

"I had the joy of giving Sybil some tea and biscuits," Dumbledore said slowly, no emotion escaping his steady voice. "As you can see, she has left some. Help yourself, they are quite delicious." He gestured to a couple of custard creams and some chocolate fingers left on the desk in front of Harry. "…Or would you prefer chocolate raisins? I have taken quite a fancy to the Muggle delicacy."

"Sir," Harry said, ignoring Dumbledore's distracting offers, and resolving to plough ahead with what was on his mind, "what did Trelawney just say to you? Did she make a – another prophecy?"

Dumbledore fixed his eyes on Harry's and realised that he had been beaten. He shook his head wearily and looked down in resignation.

"Yes, Harry. I am sorry. Yes, she has."

"Just like before?" said Harry.

"Yes," said Dumbledore, confirming Harry's suspicions of the abnormally erratic behaviour Trelawney made during her prophecies, unusually so even for her. Trelawney's behaviour had reminded Harry of Dumbledore's description of her when she had made the prophecy about Voldemort and a young boy to him in the Hog's Head, and that time at the end of third year when she had prophesied Wormtail would return to his master - Voldemort.

"Harry," Dumbledore began, "I-" He broke off and wiped a hand tiredly over his forehead.

"Are you unsure if it was a genuine prophecy?" Harry asked, knowing full-well the rarity of Trelawney's talent actually surfacing.

"I am quite certain; I am just a little…" Dumbledore searched for the right word, "…unnerved."

A chill fell upon Harry, as if a cold drip of water had just trickled down his spine. If Dumbledore was unnerved…

"However," Dumbledore continued, "it is not altogether such bad news." He gave a weak smile of encouragement. "It does not foretell your death."

"Then what does it say?"

Dumbledore paused then reached for his Pensieve which Harry had not picked out among the other clutter around his desk. Placing his wand to his temple, Dumbledore drew out a strand of pearly white, which swung from his matching hair to the stone basin, where mist swirled, not gas, but not a liquid either.

Immediately, a silver form of Professor Trelawney grew out of the strange substance, the huge round glasses of hers causing Harry to recognise her instantly. Then she spoke, her voice deep and husky.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will come into his presence before the next full moon is nigh… those on whom he puts forth this power shall be with him, and feel that which the Dark Lord yet withstands… it shall be inextricably near them, and the Dark Lord shall threaten his newest servant and torture him beyond the boundaries of life…"_

The ghostly Professor Trelawney gave Harry a meaningful look, and then sank soundlessly back into the swirling depths of the Pensieve.

"Sir…" Harry murmured slowly, "what does… does that… it means that… what?"

Dumbledore glanced up at him fixing him with a steady look in his sky blue eyes.

"It means, Harry, that before next Saturday, as some absurd misfortune and havoc may have it, Voldemort will once more have the pleasure of your company, despite my many protections on you and on this castle."

Prickles plucked Harry's arms and spine, every hair cold as ice.

"But the power – that means… what power?" Harry spluttered again.

"It means love, Harry." Dumbledore looked at him wisely, he face caressed with kindness. "It means that those whom you love the most shall somehow be with you that evening."

Harry thought for a moment… _…inextricably near them_… "But – but they can't!" Harry suddenly broke out, causing Dumbledore's wispy eyebrows to drift ever so slightly higher up his crinkled brow. "Sir – I will be putting their lives at risk if they are with me… I can't take them with me if they will be… harmed!"

"Harry." Dumbledore said simply. "Harry. Those who are under your power love you. They will choose to come of their own accord… because they love you." He paused and Harry glanced down at his crimson and gold Quidditch robes. Dumbledore's voice was soft and fatherly. "How can you say you are one to fracture the very power which can crush Voldemort?"

For a few minutes Harry pondered this strange occurrence in the future.

"But," Harry said quietly, "you said that because there is a prophecy, it doesn't mean that you have to do what it says. Couldn't I – and my friends – simply not go to wherever Voldemort is?"

"Very true," said Dumbledore, nodding. "I shall do what I can to make sure this does not happen. And you may do the same. Yet you will no doubt find that despite your best intentions, the path that we chose may in fact be the one which is already laid down for us, and which some – like dear Professor Trelawney – have seen."

Harry frowned.

"Do not worry," Dumbledore said, putting his good hand reassuringly on Harry's shoulder. "Remember what is inside you. Remember to play to your best powers."

Harry smiled distantly and wondered about how to persuade Ron and Hermione to leave him each evening, and to not look for him if he disappeared. But Dumbledore had said to not destroy the very power which was meant to save him – although wouldn't keeping them with him put that power in danger of loss forever? It was all very confusing and Harry had never felt more lost in his life.

The silence had grown long, apart from a slow mournful song which Fawkes had begun to croon. Harry glanced around the room and after a while saw that Dumbledore was gazing at him with a far-away look in his eyes.

"Hmmm…" he mumbled to himself.

"Excuse me?" Harry said cautiously, hoping Dumbledore had had some inspiration. Whether it came to him or Dumbledore, Harry didn't really mind.

"Mmmm, Harry?" Dumbledore mused again. At that time the thin veil over his eyes dissolved and his eyes shone with attentiveness.

"I think I shall throw a party," he suddenly said.

"What?" Harry exclaimed, taken aback by this odd burst of frivolity into their situation. Then, thinking that he had sounded slightly impolite to the best headmaster Hogwarts had ever seen, and to the greatest wizard of his time, however mad they presently appeared to be, he said slightly less boldly, "Pardon?"

"A party," Dumbledore looked at Harry knowledgeably. "I think I shall throw one, is that not the right term? Yes, I think that would do just fine. In such darkening times, I think a party would lighten up the atmosphere once more. People could do with thinking about the better of the two greatest powers for once. It may be the final time Hogwarts has the chance to hold a party, and I would like to be there at the last."

Dumbledore found Harry gazing back, slightly dumbstruck. The last time Hogwarts has the chance? Was it true then – would Hogwarts really close?

But Dumbledore merely smiled broadly. "Do not fear, Harry! I have not suddenly gone mad! Now, I have much to think about, and much to plan. I could do with some silent solitude."

He rose, and Harry followed suit, recognising the cue to leave.

"Goodnight, sir," he said.

"Goodnight, Harry."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Peculiar Plans

While roasting himself in front of the Gryffindor common room fire that evening, Harry realised that he hadn't actually confronted Dumbledore about the Vallati as he had planned. It had been completely driven out of his mind by the appearance of the mad (in his view) Professor Trelawney and her prophecy of what was going to happen so soon. All in one go, the Vallati had seemed much less important… and yet also much more. If he was going to be with those he loved when he met Voldemort, surely it would be far better if they were all protected by their friendship – by Vallati?

After dinner though Harry had been greeted by a school barn owl that brought him a letter from Dumbledore himself. He wrote how he had chosen a few students who were welcome to be taught how to form a Vallatus – those students who had been in the DA and were closely related to the Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore had impressed upon them the importance of keeping these lessons quiet.

However, most of these people who Harry had spoken to were too afraid to do something so powerful against Voldemort. Ernie had pompously declared that he was far too busy and that he was sure he knew all the defence jinxes he would ever need, before hurrying off speedily to the Hufflepuff common room.

Lying down on the rug in front of the fire, Harry re-read the note over and over again. Hermione and Ron came over and Harry saw that Ron was carrying an identical note too, but Hermione of course had received hers earlier. Now that Harry had been formally invited, they seemed to think that it was all okay between them. Harry was pleased to have his friends around him but he could still not help feeling a bit resentful that his two best friends were leaving him out of something that meant so much to him, and could mean a matter of life and death for him. He very much doubted he would find anyone to do it with now and felt that it would be most productive to give up hope.

Nevertheless Harry could not bring himself to do so; his eyes were glued to the note, and even though there was school the next day, Harry stayed where he was while the common room emptied, wondering. At about midnight, when he thought everyone had gone to bed, someone lay down next to him on the rug. Harry turned to look at them.

"I see you got one too," Ginny said softly, indicating to the dog-eared letter in Harry's hands. "I was just thinking…" she pushed up the sleeves of her green dressing gown to her elbows. "You know Dumbledore told you that your power against him was love?"

"How could I forget?" said Harry, unable to stop the irritation from searing through his voice. He was starting to get annoyed about this 'amazing' power which seemed pretty useless to him.

"Well," continued Ginny slowly, tucking her hair behind an ear. "Read what this says…" She pointed out to a paragraph.

"_A Vallatus is created when a special magical connection forms between two people. It can only be formed if these people are close friends, who trust and care for each other and can think as one. Choose your friend carefully…_"

A frown creased Harry's eyebrows.

"Just thought…" yawned Ginny. "And guess what? I may actually be able to sleep now. See you in the morning." With those words, she rolled over and left Harry alone again by the fire, staring at Dumbledore's letter.

The next morning Harry tiredly came down the dormitory stairs with Ron to find the entire population of Gryffindor house swarming around a shining piece of paper pinned to the notice board. From what he could see around people's heads and over the sea of black Madam Malkin's robes, the sign was flashing colours of silver and red.

"What's all this about?" asked Ron, standing on tiptoes and straining to withstand the tide in order to read the growing and shrinking words. "A – is that a _party_?"

"On Saturday," added Hermione, fighting her way through the scrum to Harry and Ron. "It's a masked ball."

Ron raised one eyebrow and looked at Harry to see what he thought.

"Dumbledore mentioned that to me yesterday when I was in his office," remembered Harry. "Although, he didn't say everyone had to wear masks."

"_What?_" screeched Hermione. "You didn't tell us!" She glared at him indignantly.

Harry shrugged. "I forgot," he said simply, leading the way over to the portrait hole.

All the way down to the Great Hall, Hermione told them her ideas for what she was going to wear, how she was going to do her hair, how she was going to make her mask.

"…I was thinking maybe pink and gold, but then I thought, perhaps lilac looks better on me, but then I would have to wear my silver jewellery, and I would have to change the colour of my …"

Hermione droned on like that until she helped herself to toast.

"Mmmm!" she said, through a sip of coffee. "We'll need to make masks! What are you going to do for yours?"

Ron bore a perplexed appearance. "I dunno, feathers?" Harry burst out laughing and put his hand in the butter by mistake.

"Well," said Hermione, giving Harry one of her disapproving looks and pointing at a pot of jam for him to pass rather bossily, "You two had better start thinking quickly. It's on Saturday, so you only have five days to make it."

Ron groaned and buried his head in his bowl of cereal. "I'll help you!" volunteered Hermione excitedly. Harry thought he discerned an even bigger groan issuing from the depths of the cornflakes.

"What?" asked Hermione, watching Ron wipe milk off his nose and chin. "Fine, have feathers and paint dripping of yours all evening! I can help Harry instead!"

"Actually," pointed out Harry, "I'd like to make mine myself." He watched as, like Mrs Weasley's kitchen scales, Ron's face went up, and Hermione's face went down.

With that last word they all ate breakfast in silence and Harry had the chance to wonder when he would have the chance to make his mask in secret so that nobody else at all would know what he looked like…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – A Loss of Hope

After lunch on Monday they had double Herbology followed by Potions. In the greenhouses, Hermione was still chattering on about her mask for the party, while Ron and Harry had learnt by now just to nod and smile and say 'yes' when she took breaths. Miraculously, she had the ability both to charm her venomous tentacula and continue talking. Ron and Harry were finding the taming charm more difficult, without this addition.

Ron leant over to Harry, who was struggling with his plant beside him. "How are you meant to make your venomous tentacula go all floppy?" he whispered. "I've sealed its mouth, but it's still as vicious as ever."

Harry looked at Ron's plant, which was head-butting him in the ribs. "Dunno," he replied, "you could ask Hermione."

"No chance," Ron dismissed that idea as Hermione quizzed them, "Do you think Luna's idea of Fwooper feathers is really a good idea?" Before they could even open their mouths to reply, Hermione had already answered her own question. "I don't think so, Fwoopers are known for their mournful song, it's honestly not the right attitude…"

"Agreed," muttered Harry, as Ron tried strangling his plant. It retaliated by slapping him round the face.

Moaning and cupping a hand round his red face, Ron turned to Harry, who was bent over his venomous tentacula.

"I give up, Hermione can do mine," Ron said, but Harry didn't hear him. He was occupied with practising a colour-change spell on one of the plants. Ron peered around Harry's long black sleeves and caught sight of Harry pointing his wand at the plant, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Harry, why is your venomous tentacula silver and black?" Ron laughed loudly, and then his voice fell. "Oh, is _that_ what it is meant to look like when it is pacified? Hermione's isn't…"

"No, no!" said Harry, shielding the plant with his hands and hastily trying to erase the black and silver streaks. "Don't worry, I've got it wrong…" He surreptitiously inspected the striped leaves before the colour vanished altogether.

"Ha ha!" laughed Ron. "We can fail together!"

"Err," murmured Harry unsurely to Ron, "Don't tell Hermione about this, okay?"

"What?" Ron said, taken aback. "Of course not! Why would I? She already knows she's better at taming venomous tentaculas than us." He turned back to his own pot. "I hate this plant," he muttered, with a scowl.

"Thanks," said Harry, glancing up to see Hermione craning over, peering at his plant.

"Harry, what have you been doing?" she demanded, for once not talking about the party.

"N-nothing…" Harry replied. He drew back his arm to reveal an innocently snapping plant. It took a few moments to satisfy Hermione before she returned to her chattering. Neither she nor Ron saw Harry wipe the sweat from his brow as he tried to memorise the spell he had just performed, a spell completely apart from that which Professor Sprout had just taught them.

When the lesson ended, Harry hurried outside, still stuffing into his bag his notes on how to successfully tame a venomous tentacula. While he waited for Ron and Hermione, he saw Neville walk past. Harry leapt after him.

"Neville… can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Harry," Neville said cheerfully. He always enjoyed Herbology.

Harry had been thinking about what Ginny had been trying to suggest to him last night and he had been pondering over who aside from Ron and Hermione he had a special connection with. Dumbledore himself had told Harry that it wasn't just him, Harry, who fitted Trelawney's original prophecy – Neville did too. If that wasn't enough, Neville's parents had fought bravely like Harry's parents against Death Eaters, and Neville had loved the DA and loyally come with Harry to the Department of Mysteries.

"Do you want to learn about Vallati with me?"

Harry knew that Neville wasn't perfect - his fall in his first flying lesson was legendary, and no one else was more nervous about performing magic than him. But their link was special, and Harry knew Neville would always be a true fighter against Voldemort.

"I'm sorry Harry," said Neville, "but I've already asked someone else."

Harry felt as if his insides had just been squashed by the Giant Squid.

He nodded with an air of defeat and stared at his feet. "Who?" His head was pounding and Harry felt he couldn't quite take this anymore.

"Luna," Neville replied, "and she said yes." His eyes shone brightly as he recounted this proudly.

"Okay," mumbled Harry. He saw Ron and Hermione pausing beside him and put on a weak smile for them. "Let's go…"

"I'm sorry, mate," Ron said softly to him, "bad luck." Hermione gave him a little awkward hug as he tried to walk along. It seemed to Harry that his friends were all on his side, but no one was quite close enough to him to want to learn how to make a Vallatus with him. But if his friendships with Ron, Hermione, and Neville weren't strong enough, thought Harry morosely as he tripped over the steps into the castle, whose was?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – A Mirror of Fears

At dinner the most enjoyment Harry was having was stabbing his fork at the carrots on his untouched plate. Hermione and Ron had dashed off after a quick bite to eat since they had to do their prefect duties, while Neville had gone to the library to eagerly read up on venomous tentaculas, and Seamus was in detention for being rude to Snape. The only other person sitting near Harry was Dean, but he seemed somewhat subdued.

Harry shoved his mutilated plate away and instead took a large helping of chocolate bread-and-butter pudding with a mountain of ice cream. He was eating it ravenously with his eyes lowered to the bowl when a voice came down to him from the other side of the table.

"Comfort eating?"

Ginny sat down wearily opposite him and immediately slumped upon her elbow. When she dragged her eyes up to Harry, he nodded and helped himself to more of the chocolate pudding.

"Want some?" he asked.

"Yeah… twice that, please… no, another bit more," Ginny directed, not even bothering with the main course. "Thanks…"

Harry watched her thoughtfully, wondering what had caused Ginny's change in character. Normally she was laughing, joking and smiling…

"Luna didn't want to be taught Vallati with me," she said suddenly, revealing what was on her mind.

"Ah!" Harry tried to speak through a mouthful. "Yes," he swallowed. "Neville asked her."

"Oh."

They both fell silent, except for the scraping of bowls. Harry saw Dean glancing over at them morosely, but when he caught Harry's eye he quickly looked away.

All of a sudden Harry could hold it in no longer and buried his head in his hands. "Ginny, why don't people like me?"

Ginny leant forwards across the table. "Of course people like you, Harry," she said softly, comfortingly. "You're a wonderful friend and you're the one person who has saved us from You-Know-Who so many times already. Everyone admires you… well, apart from the Slytherins," she added considerately.

"But why does nobody want to learn how to do a Vallatus with me then?" Harry challenged, looking between his fingers at her.

Ginny paused before saying slowly, "I'm sure it's not that people you've asked don't want to, Harry, but it's just that they've found other close friends to do it with."

A "Hmmmph" sound issued from the pile of Harry on the other side of the table. A moment later he said, "It didn't help that Dumbledore told Hermione before everyone else."

"I know," Ginny agreed. "But maybe Dumbledore had a reason. I'm sure he wouldn't have done it out of favouritism. If he had, he would have told you before anyone else." Ginny looked at Harry appraisingly, but he didn't seem to notice.

He sat up and tiredly ran his hand through his black hair, ruffling it up. It was only when he looked at her that he realised she was watching him intently.

"Why has this happened?" he moaned softly.

"I don't know," Ginny replied. "It all seems rather unfair. Nobody wants to be with a small fifth year girl."

"Nobody wants to be with me when I'll be facing Voldemort in less than week."

"What?" Ginny hissed, her eyes wide with shock. "You must be joking, Harry?"

He shook his head. "Doesn't matter," he mumbled. "I know why none of my friends want to be with me – it's because they fear that if they learn how to make a Vallatus with me, then when we end up fighting with a bunch of Death Eaters, or worse, Voldemort, they will be more likely to be murdered if they are in a Vallatus with me."

He glanced across the table at Ginny, whose face become quiet pale. But instead of cowering away she looked back at him defiantly.

"I'm not afraid," Ginny said. Inside Harry's chest, his heart gave a lurch. It suddenly occurred to him that there was nothing more he desired than to make such beautiful magic with Ginny… but as soon as that wonderful thought occurred to him, the realisation that doing so would put her in great danger struck pain deep in his chest, and the happy thought was quenched. An even more profound sadness settled over him once more.

"I want you to be safe," he murmured, his voice strained.

Ginny frowned. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "Is something going to happen? How do you know?"

Harry looked away, feeling tortured. He yearned to let out his worries about the coming Saturday, but he was scared that it would only make Ginny want to be closer to him and that she would get involved too. He parted his lips to say something, but couldn't trust himself to speak.

"Harry – please?" Ginny leant over and touched his hand. Harry jumped and his eyes immediately met hers, his heart pounding. The intensity of her gaze was so strong that he didn't notice that Dean had got up until he walked behind Ginny, a distinct edginess in his step.

"Sorry," Ginny muttered, withdrawing her hand. But she didn't move her eyes from his.

"Just be careful, Ginny," Harry warned. "If I get into trouble on Saturday, don't go looking for me. Stay where you are safe."

He held her eyes for a moment longer, and then broke away. He couldn't stand pretending he didn't want her to be with him when he so desperately did; he felt like he would give in any moment now, and he couldn't let himself plead with her to be with him… it would be utterly selfish to put her in danger when he knew what was coming. Without another word, Harry got up and walked out of the Great Hall. But behind him, Ginny stayed just where he had left her, as motionless as stone, her eyes shining brightly and her mind whizzing through a hundred questions.

**xXxXx**

****Please leave a review! I'd love to hear what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - Roonil Wazlib's Dress Robes

That evening, when Harry was lying in bed reading the Half-Blood Prince's potion book, for the first time he began to find himself slightly tired of it. Not because the Prince's annotations weren't intriguing or useful, but because this chapter, on basic poisons for corrupting the growth of plants (such as the mimbulus mimbletonia and the venomous tentacula), was hardly touched at all. The pages, apart from being scuffed and marred around the edges, looked as if they could easily have been taken from Ron's new copy. Clearly, the Prince was unimpressed by plants, and subsequently, Harry was unimpressed by the chapter.

Just as Harry began to sift ahead a few pages, he gave a long yawn and looked around the room. To his surprise and amusement, Ron was struggling to clamber into his dress robes from their fourth year. He already had the white frilly part on, which finished not at his waist, but straddled half-way up his chest. Now he was jumping into the trousers, fighting a vicious war with them to get the fastening around his waist. Harry gave a laugh. They finished six inches up his shins, revealing fluffy maroon socks and hairy legs.

"What're you laughing at?" Ron said gruffly, pushing one arm through a sleeve of his black cloak and searching for the other arm hole behind his back. Harry just shook his head and fought back a smile. Ron glared at him and shoved his other arm into the sleeve. There was the sound of many fibres being torn apart and the cloak split clean in two down his broad back. Dean and Seamus burst out laughing from across the other side of the room and even Neville glanced up at the ripping noise and gave a smile. Swearing, Ron shook the two halves of his dress robes off his long arms and gave Harry a menacing look which said "_If you so much as laugh…_"

Harry sucked his lips together and tried to conceal his amusement by nudging his glasses further up his nose.

"I think I need some new dress robes," muttered Ron, yanking the rest of the shrunken clothes off his lanky frame.

"You don't say," murmured Harry. After putting the tattered potions book down on his pillow, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and got up. "Why don't you send a letter to your mum? I'm sure she could buy some for you."

Ron gave a snort which sounded somewhere between a donkey choking and Dobby sneezing. "My mum would never buy me new dress robes! She's already said these were expensive enough." With a scowl he added, "And there's no chance of her daring to go out to Diagon Alley with that Dementor attack yesterday. Besides, what would she get me this time? An _actual_ dress?"

Ron plucked the frayed frills which he had tried to singe off for the Yule Ball. Shaking his head he mumbled, "What planet is she on?"

Harry tried to give a sensible reply instead of teasing his best friend. "But there's no way you can go in those." Ron looked up immediately and opened his mouth to interrupt. "Ok, ok, so you did go in them to the Yule Ball," Harry admitted, "and there was no chance of you wearing them then _either_, but this time they are miles too small, and now you've shredded them anyway."

Ron made a face and nodded in agreement. He sunk down onto his bed while Harry picked up the tattered dress robes and tried to imagine when Ron could ever have fitted such tiny clothes. For a moment, the dormitory was quiet and the only sound was of Seamus whispering animatedly over a colourful box which Dean was holding in his hands. Ron gazed absent-mindedly out of the window at the dark, misted panes; until suddenly, Seamus gave a rather loud shout of excitement which caused Dean to drop the rattling box and Ron to swivel round sharply. His eyes fell on the box which Seamus joyfully snatched up from the floor, and Harry caught the words

"_Skiiving Snackboxes!_

_Nosebleed Nougat_

– _you'll never have to endure a bleeding transfiguration lesson again!_"

Suddenly Ron's eyes lit up as inspiration hit him and he punched the air. "YES! I'll send an owl to Fred and George! They've got plenty of gold and they live above their shop in Diagon Alley - they can get me some new dress robes from Madam Malkins by Saturday!"

Harry raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "You seriously trust Fred and George to buy you some dress robes?" He thought maybe the dire situation of the dress robes had rather outbalanced Ron's sense of judgement.

"Err – ok, I'll send a couple of sickles to help them on their way," Ron said guiltily. He snatched up Harry's quill and grabbed a piece of parchment from under the snoozing fanged Frisbee which Hermione had confiscated.

"But, do you– why are you using _my _quill?" Harry demanded.

"Roonil Wazlib? Do you think my brothers will understand any of that rubbish their stupid quill is writing? Come to think of it, I'll send that back along with this too." Ron continued to scrawl along the parchment, leaning down so low in his eagerness to write that the ink was flicking up onto his nose.

"But," stammered Harry, "but, you actually _trust_ Fred and George – Fred and George, who let foul-mouthed fireworks loose in school and set a swamp in a corridor, Fred and George, who make telescopes which punch people, sweets which make people throw up and creamy biscuits which make people sing like canaries, Fred and George, who own a JOKE shop – you trust them to buy you some _wearable_ dress robes?" Harry stared at Ron in disbelief.

But Ron looked up at Harry, his face deadly serious, and merely shrugged. "I trust them more than mum," he answered.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Secrets out of the Shadows

"Harry! Harry, I need to talk to you."

These words met Harry's ears before fingers tugged at the sleeve of his robes. Spinning round in the busy corridor, he saw Ginny looking up at him with her beautiful chocolate-brown eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Ron and Hermione were a short distance ahead of him and in the bustling crowd of students eager to muscle their way back to their common rooms after lessons they hadn't noticed that Harry had stopped. "Wait," he said firmly, making his mind up. He dashed ahead and caught Hermione's arm.

"I'll just be a minute," he said to her, before opening his mouth to explain. Then he closed it. Maybe Ginny didn't want her private life publicised, particularly to Ron, who was rather touchy on the subject of his sister. "There's no need to wait," he told her instead. Hermione nodded and she and Ron swam through the bodies over to the stairs.

Harry turned back to return to Ginny, but found her so close behind him that he nearly walked straight into her.

"Sorry…" he said sheepishly, leaping back.

Ginny blushed and muttered the same, before tucking her hair anxiously behind her ear. "Harry… I… It's really stupid, but I thought you would be the one who would understand…"

Ginny averted her eyes and twisted her fingers nervously. Instinctively Harry guided her to the wall at the side of the corridor, out of the motorway of people, where they had less chance of being overheard and interrupted.

"I – it's about Malfoy, Harry," Ginny said urgently, glancing up at Harry and her cheeks reddened. He stared straight back at her, wondering if this was anything to do with what Hermione had said about Malfoy watching them the other day. For a moment Ginny seemed distracted by him looking at her, and then she tore her gaze away, checking over her shoulder that no one was hovering nearby.

"He's acting a bit… strange," she whispered. She shrank close to the wall as a band of Slytherins marched past.

"You mean, like he has all year?" asked Harry, trying to speak loudly over the noise.

"No-o…" Ginny looked a bit confused, and then glanced at him again. "I mean… around me."

"What_?_" Harry exclaimed in disbelief. Immediately he wished he'd spoken more quietly. "What?" he repeated softly, his wide eyes revealing his incredulity.

"I don't know…" Ginny muttered again. "But he's been… watching me." Harry's heart leapt forcefully in his ribcage as he caught a flicker of fear crossing Ginny's face. "It's probably nothing…" she dismissed it quickly. "I'm going paranoid… don't worry about it… I'm just-"

"No, no," said Harry. "I'm glad you told me. Malfoy's definitely up to something." Ginny looked up and relaxed when she saw that he honestly believed her.

"It's just… I knew you'd be the one who would understand about Malfoy… no one else believes you… but I know you're right…" Ginny held Harry's eyes and he felt his heart drumming even more violently. It wasn't until there was a muffled cough behind them and Harry saw Ginny's eyes avert to someone to his left. Harry turned quickly and found himself looking up into a silvery-white beard.

"Oh – hello, Professor," Harry stuttered, realising that Dumbledore was waiting patiently for him to finish his conversation with Ginny.

"I was just wondering if I could just have a word with you, Harry," he said before eying the two of them above his half-moon glasses, "unless I have just interrupted something I should not have…?" Harry stole a glance at Ginny but she shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," Ginny told him. Harry obviously looked dissatisfied because she then gave him a weak smile. "I'll wait with Ron and Hermione, - it honestly doesn't matter."

"OK," Harry conceded, knowing she was only saying this so that he could find out what Dumbledore wanted. "But there's no need to wait," he added.

Meanwhile Dumbledore had turned with a swish of his purple cloak and was rapping open classroom doors and peering inside for a place in which to talk privately with Harry.

"Harry, over here! Oh no, sorry, this one has a boggart in, we can't use that one… what about this one – my apologies, Professor Flitwick, won't happen again… this one looks alright… no, no, _definitely_ not! -I must repair that hole in the floor, most dangerous since the mountain troll was let in, I had quite forgotten… oh dear… Now how about over here…."

"Look, I'll see you later," Harry muttered to Ginny, unable to resist a smile. When Ginny returned the smile Harry felt his head spinning in dizziness, as if he had just levitated up from the ground…

He followed Dumbledore, who had thrown open a door further down the corridor, and was peering in while wrinkling his nose. Harry joined him and craned over Dumbledore's crooked shoulder. He couldn't see much as the room was so dark.

"…Perfect." mused Dumbledore.

Harry walked into the shadowy classroom. The windows were all covered by numerous desks piled higgledy-piggledy all over the place, so the whole room was like an agility course in the gloom. Harry made his way over to a desk illuminated by the sliver of light. As Dumbledore shut the door behind him, blackness filled the whole room.

"So, Harry…" Dumbledore said cheerily. Harry waited while Dumbledore lit his wand and examined him for a moment before deciding to crack on. "I was wondering if you had thought about my offer."

At these words Harry bowed his head and stared down at his feet, feeling a leaden weight drop from the emptiness of the room into the base of his stomach. A silence hung heavily around him.

"Would you like me to teach you how to make a Vallati?" Dumbledore gently pressed him for answer.

"Yes," replied Harry quietly, still staring at the gloom around his feet. "But you can't."

A peculiar expression passed over Dumbledore's face. Harry couldn't see it, but he could feel it in the air. "Pardon?"

"_I _can't do it," corrected Harry, his voice strengthening somewhat, "because I need a friend to do it with." Harry's voice caught in his throat before he could say anymore, as if saying this really confirmed to him that his friends wanted to do it with each other, but not with him.

There was the curious sound of Dumbledore twitching his beard, before he said cautiously, "please tell me if I am wrong, Harry, but it I sent identical notes to your very trustworthy friends."

Harry made a mumbling noise from the depths of his throat. His mouth was so dry that his lips were sealed together and he couldn't speak.

"Well then," Dumbledore continued conversationally, as though this was a jolly chat about a merry outing for a picnic, "what about your dear friend Ronald? I am sure he would gladly join with you."

"Hurumph…" Harry mumbled. Then- "ergh"

"Oh?" Dumbledore acted as if Harry had spoken just as clearly as Professor McGonagall in her sharp shrill voice like a bark. At the least, Dumbledore certainly seemed to understand Harry's new form of communication.

"How about Hermione? She has always been very close to you, Harry, and taught you not one too many of your brilliant spells, I dare say…" The words hung in the air. Dumbledore watched intently as Harry's feet kicked dust on the floor and scuffed out a circle. The dust rose into the air and glistened silver in the wand-light.

Harry took a deep breath. "No."

"Excuse me?"

"Hermione can't," said Harry. He gave up on the dust with one more kick and glanced up at the pitch blackness of the ceiling. "She's taken."

"Aaaah."

Harry threw Dumbledore a look for the first time since they had entered the spider-inhabited classroom. "It didn't help that you told her first," he said accusingly.

The headmaster's bushy eyebrows fell into a shape which, in that half-light, was unidentifiable as either a realisation, or a frown.

Harry continued as a huge combination of rage and sorrow coursed through his body and the sudden need to let vent erupted. "If you hadn't have told her first, I would have had someone to do it with! If you hadn't have done that, none of this would have happened! Both of my best friends have been taken because of this! It's not fair. You think that you know everything, but you don't, you don't know how much it hurt to seem them both walk away and leave me alone. And how can I blame them? It wasn't Hermione's fault that you told her first. And it wasn't as if Ron was going to say no to doing the most advance defensive magic with such a brilliant friend, is it? It's not their fault, it's yours! You didn't think it out properly before you did it, and now you're surprised to find out that I can't learn how to make a Vallati, even though it would mean so much to me! …You really hurt me."

Harry felt as though he was being strangled, his throat was so tight and constricting. Tears were stinging his eyes as the hurt of being left apart from his friends tore through his body like a thunderous wave. He roughly brushed his fingers over his eyes and pulled his long hair over them so Dumbledore wouldn't see his wet eyes.

"It's not just being taught how to make a Vallati that I'm missing," Harry explained quietly, for fear of breaking up altogether. "It's knowing that this could really help me when I face what's coming in the future, and even more it's being cut off from my friends, hearing them talk about something I can't experience, hearing about something wonderful that I can't be part of."

Some other image at that moment crystallised in Harry's mind, an image of someone so beautiful and fair, so happy and bright, yet it was surrounded by lapping water, which dissolved the picture so soon as it had come, and a sharp pain struck Harry, somewhere deep inside, where he hadn't realised what was there. A pain of loss, for someone, and something, he had never had… but could never have… they were the same and one… both and together.

Dumbledore let Harry finish his outburst and gave a sigh. "You must understand, Harry, that as foolish and unfair as my actions may have seemed, they were reasonable to this old man you find before you at that time. I see now that perhaps I should have done things differently."

Harry glared resentfully at Dumbledore from behind the hair covering his eyes.

"I have been planning on teaching Vallati to a few select students, including you Harry, for a long time now," Dumbledore began. "The discovery you and I made about Horcruxes on Saturday evening prompted me into teaching Vallati again. However, I wanted to infiltrate the concept slowly, and I thought by informing your friend Miss Granger, who has exceptional skills in magic and great dedication to you, she could tell you about the lessons, and – as you have so many cares and strains at the moment, Harry – I thought that once you felt ready to do the same I would then put this extra burden upon you."

"I think it was more of a burden to me this way," Harry admitted honestly.

"I am sorry," said Dumbledore softly. "I had good intentions, but they went astray."

Harry gave a little snort and flicked the hair out of his eyes.

Dumbledore continued. "However, come Saturday afternoon, the situation changed… I had witnessed events which changed my original plan."

"Events – to do with me?" Harry asked hesitantly, thinking of the prophecy.

"Yes," Dumbledore mulled pensively. "It suddenly appeared more urgent that you – and those you love – were taught this defence, for you will all need it. That is why I sent you those letters to you and the rest of your friends. But now perhaps you can see that all along my priority has always been for you, Harry."

Dumbledore's blue eyes pierced Harry and he felt himself diminish, slightly ashamed of accusing Dumbledore for being thoughtless and heartless when he had had his best interests at heart.

"I sincerely regret that you feel that you are being excluded, Harry, but I am sure you have more friends that just Mr Weasley and Miss Granger! How about Neville Longbottom? He accompanied you to the Department of Mysteries last summer."

"I thought about him," Harry confessed. "I remembered what you had said about Voldemort being able to choose between me and him, and in your letter you had said that we needed to have a 'special connection'."

Dumbledore seemed impressed, due to a proud smile which lifted up his moustache. "But-" said Harry, "he can't."

Dumbledore gave a half-nod of understanding and decided not to question any further. "How about-"

"He chose to do it with Luna."

"Ah."

"Yes," said Harry, "ah."

There was silence once more. Harry resolved to drawing crosses in the dust with his toe and running a hand through his already messed-up hair. At last Dumbledore spoke.

"Harry?"

"Yes, sir?" He stopped and glanced up.

"How about the young red-haired girl who I just saw you with? She is Ronald's sister, I think?"

Harry felt his heart quicken in his chest. He gave a little nod and felt his breath quicken. "Ginny…" he whispered.

"Yes, of course," Dumbledore exclaimed, delighted. "She is a fiery young girl, Professor Slughorn has informed me of her alarming proficiency with hexes. I have seen you training for Quidditch with her a number of times… You seem quite close, am I right?"

Harry could feel enough heat radiating from his cheeks for him to have just downed three doses of Pepperup Potion.

"I know her… well," Harry said slowly. His hands were sticking to the edge of the desk, which was cutting into his palms as Harry gripped it even more tightly.

"Well enough?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry swallowed and closed his eyes. Now all Harry could see was the image of Ginny in his mind, laughing happily as she held onto his hand, smiling and pulling him closer, gazing into his eyes, falling closer, that pale blue sphere surrounding them once more…

Harry became conscious of Dumbledore's intense gaze and opened his eyes. He twisted awkwardly on the desk, unable make eye-contact with Dumbledore and so he stared hopefully at the door, trying to be very interested in a spider's web which had just swung over its left corner.

"Has she given you any… hints?" Dumbledore suggested lightly. "I for one am constantly reminded by Minerva how men just never seem to pick up on subtlety… usually when I am on one of my midnight walks around the school, come to think of it…" Dumbledore trailed off, his thoughts seemingly on a different tangent.

Automatically a voice in Harry's head said "no". Of course she wouldn't want to do Vallati with him, she would have said it to him right after they received their letters. And 'hints', anyway, she hadn't given him any of them… had she?

Harry froze and his mind raced back to dinner the night before. Maybe…? She had seemed so concerned, so determined to help… but was she actually hoping he would ask her to make Vallati with him? – No, he thought he was hoping too much. Or was he?… Exasperated, Harry shook himself out of his reverie and saw Dumbledore's eyes gleaming, staring at him. Harry felt himself blush. This was not a place for Dumbledore to go!

As if sensing this thought, Dumbledore smiledand said softly, "Well Harry, I think it is time for me to go…"

At these words Harry bolted off the desk, as if all of a sudden he had discovered that it was coated in something nasty.

"But-" Dumbledore held up his hand. "Harry, I would urge you to consider… her," he ended softly. Harry's green eyes flickered in the dim light. He opened his mouth to protest but Dumbledore spoke over him. "This is my advice, Harry. Search inside yourself, and you will find that other people will become clearer."

Harry stood there, confused. "What-?"

"Just try, Harry," Dumbledore said, sweeping over to the door and leaving a dust trail steaming up from the floor. "I want to heal what I wounded." He held the door open and the noise of laughter cascaded in as flocks of students glided past in their black robes, oblivious to the silence ringing deafeningly in Harry's ears.

As he paused for thought, Harry caught sight of Ron, Hermione and Ginny over by the stair-rail. So they had waited.

Ginny turned at the opening door and her eyes fell on his. Harry's heart missed a bit.

"Okay, Professor…" he breathed, seeing the tiniest smile dance softly on Ginny's lips. "I will."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – Perhaps… Perhaps not…

"So what did he want to talk to you about?"

All the way back to the Gryffindor common room Harry endured a ceaseless inerrogation by Ron, Hermione and Ginny. It was like being in front of the board of examiners for his OWLs, but this time Harry knew he should not answer.

"It was nothing, don't worry about it."

"But it _had_ to be something important, Harry," Hermione said reasonably. "Otherwise he wouldn't bother saying it to you." She fixed him with a hard stare and handed him back his bag. Damn her for being so logical!

"It honestly doesn't matter," Harry refused to let on, pretending to check that all his books were in his bag. "Anyway, it's not like we decided anything."

Ron immediately snapped up on this. "What do you have to decide?" He pounced gleefully in front of Harry, blocking his way to the tapestry, behind which was the shortcut to the common room, avoiding Peeve's usual lair.

"N-not much, nothing really." Harry avoided Ron's eyes.

"Come on, mate!" Ron encouraged, grasping Harry's shoulders and holding him back.

"Tell us, Harry!" Ginny smiled at him, stopping next to Hermione and Ron, using her charm to persuade him to open up. Harry was tempted for a moment, looking into her deep eyes… until…

"Sorry, but no." He shook his head, black hair sliding suspiciously over his eyes, and he ducked around Ron's long arms.

"Hey!" Ron leapt after Harry, grabbing for his cloak.

"It's not important, okay!" Harry shouted back insistently, legging it down the dark corridor. The sound of footsteps resounded behind him; the other three realised Harry was trying to escape and were hot on his heels.

"If it wasn't important, you would tell us!" Hermione's voice of reason echoed ahead of Harry down the corridor. Harry knew she was right, but that wasn't going to make him tell them. Not when Ginny was there, especially…

"Harry!" Ron shouted, not far behind him. The sound of Ginny's bubbly laughter bounced around the walls and filled Harry's mind with a happy light feeling, like flying in the sunshine at the Burrow…

"Sorry!" He yelled, glancing over his shoulder into the shadows dancing in the darkness, and he belted out behind a statue of armour and up a staircase, three steps at a time.

"Harry…. Wait!"

He kept running, charging up to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Amate libenter!" He bellowed at her, only halfway down the hallway. She frowned disapprovingly but swung inwards for him, just in time before a Harry-shaped hole was cut in her picture frame.

"Harry, why won't you tell us?" Ginny's voice trailed behind Harry. They were losing him.

"I just… can't…" Harry turned, one hand on the stone wall by the spiral staircase up to the boys' dormitory. He saw the others cluster at the portrait hole and their red faces turning up to where he stood, poised for flight.

"I'm sorry… but I just can't."

Harry turned and ran.

xxxxxx

It wasn't helping.

Ginny was sitting directly in Harry's line of view, and the facts were simple. Snape's essay, or watching Ginny. There was one answer, and it was exceedingly obvious. Harry's concentration was waning. In fact, he realised, tipping his head thoughtfully to one side, ever since Dumbledore's words had reached his ears, there had been no concentration left for anything else in his mind. Just wondering…

She was sitting on the top of the sofa in the centre of the Gryffindor common room among some other fifth years. Every so often, her ring of laughter tinkled throughout the room, making Harry's ears prick up and draw his eyes towards her. Ginny's long red hair rippled over her slight shoulders, and slipped forward in front of her eyes as she giggled. He noticed one lock of hair ever so gently brush her lips, shimmer in the light of the setting sun glazing the windows of the tower, before she stroked it away and turned…

As if sensing Harry's thoughts, which were to be honest not where they should be, Ginny leant back along the ridge of the sofa and tilted her head backwards, trailing her eyes over to Harry. Harry, who had been floating along in dreams of being alone with Ginny, was as startled as if he had found a grindylow in his pumpkin juice, and jerked back to his homework with a jolt of panic.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, gazing mournfully at her transfiguration diagram.

"Oh, err, sorry, Hermione," Harry stuttered, seeing the dark line carving straight across the picture of a goblet with ears and a tail. He took out his wand hazily, wondering if he should dare to look back at Ginny, or force himself to wait a minute longer…

"No, Harry." His hand was pushed back and Hermione quickly banished the line with a neat flick before Harry could ruin even more of her diagram. She and Ron had realised pretty soon after sitting down at dinner that Harry was not letting on one bit, and they had let him work in peace. Well, he might have done if someone else wasn't nearby…

"Right… cool…" Harry said absent-mindedly, looking sidelong at Ginny. She was talking to one of her friends again, but she seemed to have a different smile now, her eyes seemed brighter… or was it just him who thought it made her look so much prettier?

"Harry, can I copy your paragraph about controlling the curse?"

Ron's voice seeped into Harry's consciousness slowly, like water trickling through a bed of very thick sand.

"Errr… oh, I'm still on the intro," Harry confessed, looking at the parchment in front of him, as if he'd never seen it before. How could Ginny ever want to do Vallati with him? After all, she was so popular… and so attractive… Harry squirmed in his chair.

"Oh, OK," Ron said cheerily, quite delighted to be ahead of Harry for once. He leant over in front of Harry's view to see Hermione's essay, making Harry blink irritably at the sudden decrease in interest of the scene.

"No you don't, Ron!" Hermione swiped Ron's hand out of the way. "Besides, it's only half done!" She tucked her essay away underneath her Transfiguration drawing.

"What? It's already four feet long!" Ron gaped at her. Harry strained to either side of him, trying to snatch another glimpse of Ginny instead of Ron's gigantic mouth. She hadn't been giving any hints to him, anyhow, had she? She herself had said to find someone with a 'special link', so…

"So what, Ron?"

oh… _oh…_

"Ron, that's not fair! Give it back now!"

… so _that's _what she meant…

"Oh, please, Hermione?"

…oops…

"_RON!"_

Just as the table was nearly upturned, Harry squirmed out behind Ron's chair.

"Got to go," he quickly told them, before properly taking another look. They wouldn't notice he was gone at this rate.

Harry's walk turned into a run as he sped towards the portrait hole, his mind burning. Why hadn't he seen it before? He had to check now, and then he could ask her…

Just as he opened the portrait-hole, he glanced back. A pair of dark brown eyes was staring back, right at him.

Someone was singing very ecstatically in Harry's head.

xxxxxx

"Merlin's beard! Why won't anyone come along?"

Harry looked as if he was dancing on hot ashes outside the Ravenclaw common room. He even had the red face to support it. With utmost annoyance Harry was pacing around the concealed entrance, waiting for someone, _anyone_, to come by…

Almost at the point of screaming in frustration, a group of hysterical third years came round the corner, and since Harry was presently pressing his fists into his eyes, he nearly missed them.

"Wait!" he called out, catching sight of them at the last second. His unusual and slightly irrational presence was received with disdainful looks. "Can you find Luna?" he panted. "Luna Lovegood? Please?"

The girls exchanged looks with eyebrows furrowed.

"Ok…" They sauntered into the common room, throwing him cynical glances.

"Hurry up, _please_!" Harry shouted after them, resuming his mad hopping.

He even started tearing his hair out this time. He couldn't wait to ask Luna, he had to check, before he made a fool of himself… _aaarrggh!_ Why was she taking so long? If Ginny really did want to make a Vallatus with him, he needed to ask her as soon as he could so that they could begin learning in time for the weekend…

"Oh, hello Harry!" Luna drifted out of the common room, hardly looking up from her magazine.

"Hi Luna, I just wondered-"

"Did you know that Fwoopers have three feet? This article says that they have developed three feet so that they practice tap dancing more easily."

Harry nodded slowly, eyeing up the magazine. "Right. Um, Luna, I'm in rather a rush at the moment, so…"

"This lady has trained two hundred Fwoopers to tap dance in her whomping willow tree, which provides the beat to their dances…"

"_Luna_…!" Harry said forcefully. "I'd appreciate it if we could be fairly quick, as I'm in a rush…"

"Oh, sorry!" exclaimed Luna, "you could probably do with three feet too, Harry."

Harry gave an odd sort of shudder, trying to contain his exasperation without hitting something – probably Luna, or at least her magazine.

"Luna, I was going to ask you about Ginny, but maybe I should…"

"No, go on, Harry!" She smiled.

"Okay," Harry breathed slowly, fairly confident he had her attention. "Does Ginny, you know, mention me to you at all, often?" He scratched the back of his neck nervously; now that it had come to it, he hadn't actually been able to phrase the question very well.

"Not really," Luna said brightly.

Harry felt as if he had been hung by a thread at the top of the astronomy tower, and someone had cut the thread, and he had fallen _how_ many metres down to the ground. The shock struck his heart still, and his mind was all dazed and sliding around in his stunned head.

"She talks about Dean a lot though," Luna carried on. "She always goes on about him, even though they're not going out anymore."

Harry swallowed and it felt like Luna had just shoved a snitch down his throat.

"Right," he whispered, tenderly massaging his neck. He stared at the Fwooper on the magazine in Luna's hands, oblivious to anything except the feeling of utter loss inside of him. "I'll just… go then. Thanks, Luna…"

He didn't even hear her telling him when he could next see the performance of the two hundred Fwoopers. He felt so foolish. Obviously Ginny didn't feel the same, and clearly she still had some feelings about Dean. Well, he'd just forget about it. It shouldn't be so hard. After all, he'd suffered rejection so many times before, and this time, he hadn't even got round to asking the person… and least he'd avoided that humiliation…

Harry sighed, stepping back into the Gryffindor common room. Over in the corner, Hermione looked up and nudged Ron. They both waved.

Harry smiled. "Hey…."

Yeah… it wasn't so bad, he told himself. Oh, who was he fooling? He was in love with her.

Harry winced.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Feathers, claws, and a parcel for thought

At eleven o'clock that evening Harry, Ron and Hermione were still working away at their Defence Against the Dark Arts essay for Snape on the Imperius curse. Hermione had finished an hour ago, but was alternately adjusting Harry's and Ron's essays. They had learned to sit down with her in the middle so that she could help them both at once and make maximum use of her before she went up to bed.

"How the hell are you meant to write a five-foot essay on this stuff?" Ron groaned, giving up and slumping over his creased parchment that trailed off the desk and onto the floor.

"Careful!" shrilled Hermione, who was still changing some of Ron's words just below his elbow. "Look – you've smudged those two rows now!"

Ron made a grumbling noise and buried his head in his arms. "I think that means 'I don't care'" translated Harry, who was trudging through his last three inches.

"Exactly." Ron confirmed this idea and turned his head so that he was leaning on his cheek. "Don't bother with that," he told Hermione, but she continued to cast a sharpening spell on all of the blotchy words irrespective of what he said.

In frustration Harry rammed his quill into the inkpot and tore at his long, wild hair, issuing a moan just like Ron.

"Don't worry about it, mate," Ron assured him. "Snape won't give either of us marks much more than a Troll anyway." Harry gave a weak smile. That wasn't the sole thing he was worrying about right now. Who was he kidding? He was bothered about Luna's words, and he knew it. He kept lying to himself, lying he'd been doing for so many months now. He had to admit his feelings for Ginny.

"What's the point of me doing this then?" Harry heard Hermione say indignantly. He watched as she shoved Ron's parchment back under his elbow and folded her arms.

"Aww, come on, Hermione, you know we love your help," Ron crooned. He glanced at Harry, who was now glaring vehemently at his essay. "Just give us a little nudge and we'll be done in no time."

Hermione gave a sigh, and then moved her chair closer to Harry. "Ok, let's see how to do your conclusion…" and she began scribbling away. Harry sent Ron a grateful smile.

There was suddenly a clawing sound from below them before a dire ripping noise.

"OI!" Ron bellowed, "GET OFF THERE!" Harry caught sight of something ginger and furry dash past Ron's legs, and before long a huge textbook flew through the air.

"No, Ron!" Hermione squealed, diving onto the floor. "Don't hurt him!"

There was a scramble and a flurry of scraps of parchment, lumps of cat hair and shouts as well as hisses. Within a few moments, Hermione emerged from the floor carrying a squirming, disgruntled Crookshanks, with a trail of parchment hanging from his paws where his claws had pierced the essay and were hooked through the holes.

"Bloody cat!" Ron exclaimed, taking another swipe at the cat. Hermione squeaked and they soon broke into a vicious argument. Harry sat back and grinned as Crookshanks chewed on the piece of Ron's quill poking out of his mouth and wiggled his whiskers where there were shreds of parchment wedged in between.

Engaged in all the yelling and swearing, Ron and Hermione were oblivious to the light tapping noise coming from over by the window. Harry turned and saw a shiny beak tap-tapping on the glass pane and a pair of black eyes peering in hopefully. Harry eagerly leant over and opened the window, letting in a draught of cool air along with a brown flurry of feathers with a paper parcel hanging underneath.

At the sight of the eagle owl Crookshanks hissed angrily and wriggled wildly, drawing Hermione and Ron's attention away from each other. The owl seemed slightly disconcerted by the manic gleam in Crookshanks' green eyes, but it hopped steadily over to Ron's essay, leaving wet prints over his inky words. Ron scowled but this rapidly turned to a smile of glee at the sight of the large parcel. Apparently, Crookshanks also shared this glee and a paw whipped out of nowhere to slice open the brown paper.

"You'd better get that crazy cat out of here, Hermione, before he eats this owl," said Ron. He noticed the part of his quill protruding from Crookshanks' mouth and roughly yanked it out with a murderous look in his eyes.

Hermione looked set to argue but Harry agreed, so she said goodnight in a slightly huffy voice and carried the twisting cat up to her dormitory while Ron began untying the parcel from the obedient owl.

"I wonder if it's from Fred and George," Ron mused. Before he could puzzle over it anymore, however, some black and white robes slid out into his lap like liquid, confirming his guess.

"Wow – it's my new dress robes!" Ron said ecstatically. His hands dug into the collar where, resting over the gold label, was a small scrap of parchment and two bronze knuts.

"_Thanks for the two sickles, little bro, it really got us far… Next time we need a favour we'll remember that_… oh dear, that doesn't sound good, does it?" said Ron looking at Harry, who shrugged and took the two knuts in Ron's palm.

"I'm surprised how fast that got here seeing as you only sent Pigwidgeon last night," said Harry. A thought occurred to him. "Hang on – where _is_ Pigwidgeon?"

"Dunno actually," said Ron, looking at the eagle owl who was staring back at him. "I guess Pig was too small for this parcel." He continued to read the note. "Oh – Fred and George say _P.S. We saved your tiny owl from certain death by sending ours – feed him some owl treats before you send him back or he'll nibble your ungrateful fingers off._ Come to think of it, he does look a bit peckish," Ron added.

"Here Pig is," Harry said, opening the window again. The little owl flew in up and down, fluttering about before landing next to the eagle owl which looked about ten times its size.

"Where've you been? You're so slow," Ron scolded the little owl, who looked up at him mournfully. "Oh fine, have some treats anyway," he relented and dug out a little pouch. Immediately the eagle owl zoomed forwards and Ron was forced to chuck a handful onto the desk to stop his fingers being bitten. Pigwidgeon was slightly more polite and gurgled gratefully.

"Right, I'm off to bed," said Harry. "Hermione can finish this in the morning. I'm not doing another word. This is hopeless. I can't concentrate at all."

"Yeah, same…" Ron said, yawning. He opened the window and gestured for the eagle owl to go out, which it eventually did with much ushering. "I'll try these robes on tomorrow."

"I look forward to it," said Harry, laughing.

Harry sleepily dragged his feet up the steps to the boys' dormitory, stifling a yawn. He rubbed his eyes until they were sore, but it didn't wipe the image of Ginny from his mind. With every plonk of his feet he thought about how more and more unlikely it was that he would ever even be so lucky as to do anything with Ginny in his entire life apart from talk and play Quidditch, and Harry felt more and more as if his insides were being sucked down a very deep plug hole. It was very dark and empty and lonely in that plughole. And in there, Luna's voice echoed all around him, again and again…

Then suddenly, Harry had an idea. _Hermione_. It was simple.

Hermione was the one person he could talk to about this kind of thing. Anyway, Harry told himself firmly, it was justabout seeing if she thought Ginny would like to learn how to make Vallati with him. He knew Hermione and Ginny were very close… so she would be likely to know Ginny's answer. The answer to learning about Vallati, of course, nothing else…

When Harry entered the dormitory he began to get changed hurriedly in his excitement. Just as he was pulling his robes over his head and messing up his black hair even more he had another wonderful thought, inspired by the note Ron was holding in his hand: Hermione's quill was still left downstairs in the common room. She wouldn't be able to go to sleep unless she had all her belongings together where she knew they were. Sooner rather than later, she would realise and come down again before she could go to sleep tonight. He could ask her tonight.

After quickly buttoning up his pyjamas Harry discarded his school robes to the floor with a slight uncontrollable excitement and said goodnight to Ron, who was only just undoing his tie, as he jumped onto his bed and whipped the curtains around him.

"Night, Harry!" Ron's voice drifted through the rich scarlet velvet. But by the time Harry replied, he had rolled over and slipped out under the hangings on the other side. He fell to the floor as quietly as he could and wriggled over to the stairs, out of sight of everyone else, and grappled the cold stone steps in a bizarre manner until he was almost sliding down the stairs out of control, skidding head first down onto the threadbare rug of the Gryffindor common room.

Once he had rubbed his chin, which Harry had bashed on the final step, he got up onto his feet and looked around. In the few minutes where no one had been in the common room, the house elves had been in and put all the torch lights out, so only a faint glimmer lit up the room due to the glowing embers in the large hearth. There was a strange sense of quiet, but the warmth and soft light felt like an unbelievably relaxing wave of relief to Harry, as if he had just stepped into a balmy bath and sunk in up to his eyes.

Harry walked slowly over to their favourite corner and saw Hermione's quill lying discarded on the table, with its plumes slightly dishevelled following Crookshanks's antics. Harry picked it up and gently smoothed them out again between his fingers. Doing this calmed him down; it allowed the stress to soak out of his body and his mind to clear.

There was a noise and Harry glanced up with a jolt, as if he had been caught red-handed in a crime.

"Hello Harry!" Hermione whispered, rubbing her toe. "I tripped when I was trying to be quiet," she explained, with a gesture to the stairs.

Harry held out the quill. Hermione smiled in gratitude and reached out to take it, but Harry's fingers stayed tightly closed around it. She looked up.

"Hermione, I wanted to talk to you about something," Harry said.

"Of course, Harry," she whispered. "Are you OK?"

Harry twisted on the spot. "Yeah…" he mumbled, "It's just…"

Hermione sat down on a comfy chair, her eyes still fixed on Harry's. Slowly he copied her and sat stiffly on the sofa. "It's… about Ginny," he finally blurted out.

"Oh!" Hermione said, in a strange voice. A curious smile turned up her lips. Harry, who for a moment was bewildered by this, suddenly lowered his eyes to the quill in his hands, slightly concerned by a cold prickling feeling running up his spine that Hermione may have guessed too much already.

"It's just… I was going to ask you what you thought…" he trailed off.

"Yes?" Hermione prompted him.

Harry stopped fiddling with the quill, brought up his knees and embraced them. It didn't feel as comfortable as usual as his insides were squirming so much. "Do you think she would want to make a Vallatus with me?" he finally said.

Hermione smiled broadly.

"Of _course,_ Harry! Of course she would! Why – I mean, you shouldn't need to ask _me_ to tell that for yourself!"

Harry was stunned. He could not actually believe what Hermione was saying.

"…Ginny would love to!"

"Wh-what?" Harry could barely speak. His mind was reeling. His throat was drier than a desert and it felt as painfully warped as if a snake was coiled tightly around his neck. Harry couldn't take his eyes away from Hermione… he kept asking himself whether this could really be true.

"What made you so unsure, Harry?"

"You mean, apart from the fact that all the other people like you and Ron and Neville who I wanted to go with didn't want to go with me?"

"It's not that I didn't want to-" Hermione began, looking regretfully pained at the memory.

"…It's just that there was someone else you wanted to be with more," Harry finished. Hermione smiled weakly, her eyes falling.

Harry swallowed and brought up what had been bothering him. "I went to Luna, and asked her…" Harry winced "…if Ginny spoke of me often… and she said, no, not at all." Harry felt a hot colour burn his face so much that it stung. "And she said that Ginny talked about Dean still, a lot."

"Harry," Hermione said slowly, "that doesn't mean that…" she paused, and Harry glanced up. There was a longer gap.

"What?" he demanded. "Hermione, _what_?"

She looked at him, as if she'd only just realised that he was there. "Just because Ginny doesn't talk about you much, it doesn't mean… well, Luna isn't exactly _reliable_, is she? And do you know what Ginny was _actually_ saying about Dean?"

Hermione gave Harry a meaningful look.

"No…" Harry admitted, starting to feel a bit foolish for being so assuming.

"Ginny is often complaining about how attached he was, and overprotective, and how he was such a 'rubbish kisser' that it felt like a 'flobberworm'." Hermione broke off and coughed politely, as if not wishing to discuss what Ginny had declared about Dean's kissing.

"That couldn't have been nice then," said Harry, rather more brightly.

"Yes, well, whatever, Harry," said Hermione sharply. "She _definitely_ does _not_ have feelings for Dean still, if that is what you are worried about. But then-" she broke off, staring at Harry, just as if she was practising Legilimency on him. Harry quickly glanced away, guiltily trying to hide the secret he was hiding.

"I just wanted to know if you thought she would want to make a Vallatus with me," Harry repeated quickly. As he spoke, his eyes were fixed at the ceiling, and he knew that everything indicated that he was lying, but Hermione made no comment directly about this.

"Harry, you shouldn't be worried. About asking her."

Harry's eyes descended. "Asking her?" His heart pounded in his ears and his eyes met Hermione's. She nodded very slowly and smiled reassuringly.

Harry could feel his veins pulsing all over his body. He felt on fire. What was Hermione suggesting? Did she mean… ask Ginny _what?_

**xXxXx**

Please review! :)


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – The answer to the question

"Hello…!"

A voice called out, disturbing the strange suspension in the common room. The voice was soft and yet it attracted Harry's attention, and provoked a strange sense of both fear and pleasure in his heart.

Harry's eyes flew onto Ginny, and she looked at him too. "Hi, Harry." Harry's heart soared and plummeted like a reeling rollercoaster. Ginny's eyes dropped down, and then sneaked back up to Harry's, mirroring him.

Hermione was analysing Harry before she turned to Ginny. "Oh – hello!" she said cheerfully, jumping up and looking very pleased with herself. Harry gave a start and nearly toppled off the sofa. He hoped Ginny hadn't noticed.

"Hey," said Harry quietly. He saw a smile grace Ginny's face and it made the blood rush to Harry's head. Yet _why _was his face so hot, when the fire was down so low, and he had been perfectly fine earlier? There were definitely beads of sweat on his forehead.

"I, err – I'm going to bed," Hermione said, already marching over to the stairs. "I'll just leave you two, and… see you in the morning!" Hermione hinted and almost ran off up the stairs to the dormitories. Harry could have sworn there was a cheeky smile dancing on her face. It made his insides twist guiltily because he knew why.

"What's up with Hermione?" Ginny asked Harry, grinning.

"Oh, she's probably just pleased she's finished her essay and got time to knit more elf hats or something!" Harry improvised, raising his eyebrows. He was rewarded as Ginny's tinkling laughter filled the room.

"Can I sit down with you?" she asked, walking round the end of the sofa and sitting down next to him before he had even replied. She was rather close to him, closer than he'd noticed before; her pale green nightdress was touching his knee.

"W-" Harry tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat.

Ginny looked at him, politely interested. Harry swallowed… _Why_ did this have to happen to him now? Why?

"Why are you down here at this time?" Harry finally articulated.

"Why are _you_ down here?" Ginny retorted, teasing.

Harry grinned.

"I see…" Ginny winked.

They sat there together, listening to the soft crackling of the low fire. It was not an awkward silence; it was a peaceful, contented one.

"It's not often I get to see you when Ron's not around," Harry commented, revealing his thoughts. Ginny smiled.

"Yeah, Ron can be a bit annoying sometimes. Honestly, how would he like it if I was criticising everything he did… You saw what he was like the other week with Dean…" She glanced up at Harry and looked away awkwardly. "Not that it really mattered, in the end," she added.

They fell back into silence. Harry wished she hadn't brought Dean up, not when he wanted to ask her the same thing…

"I'm sorry, Harry," Ginny said, and as he looked at her he could see the sincerity in her eyes. "Are you alright? You look like you're trying to say something, and I've gone and ruined it all."

She trailed off and Harry met her eyes.

"I – I wanted to ask you something," Harry admitted quietly. Ginny looked at him questioningly. She didn't even need to speak. She turned and brought up her knees, tucking her legs under her so that she could face him. She didn't demand him to speak; she simply gazed at him. She tilted her head against the sofa, still holding his eyes, and Harry felt his stomach leap. Her attention hadn't wavered, despite his silence, and that knowledge made him take his chance.

"Ginny, would you like to…" he broke off, unable to put into words anything he felt at that moment, unsure which question he was trying to ask.

Ginny's eyes flickered over his face. Then slowly she leant closer. Her long red hair brushed his shoulder. When she was so close he could see such depth in her warm brown eyes.

"Yes, Harry," she breathed. "You don't know how much I've wanted this." And then he knew; she was answering both of his unspoken questions. A wave of the purest relief swept through him. Ginny noticed his whole body relax and smiled. "You know… I always hoped you'd come round," she said, grinning slyly.

Harry laughed. "I'm sorry I made you wait so long." After all… she had liked him so much four years ago… he had forgotten. Now he felt bad.

But Ginny simply beamed.

"No, Harry… it was worth waiting to be with you."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - The Pigmy Puff Tattoo

"Harry! _Harry_, wake up! Oh, I think he's fallen asleep again…"

Chattering voices swarmed above Harry's head as he slowly came to grips with the world. He tried opening his eyes, and found that his mouth also opened into a cavernous yawn at the same time.

"I'm not asleep," he muttered, determined to prove he had heard them speaking, but he couldn't make it loud enough for anyone else to hear. His fingers probed at his glasses, which were at a crooked angle, and Harry heaved himself up from the lunch table. He spied a bowl of custard very close to where his nose had just been… that was a close shave, he thought.

"Had a nice nap, did you Harry?" Hermione laughed, looking round as Harry shoved the bowl of custard past her elbow and noticing signs of movement. "Come on, Ron wants to try on his new dress robes before Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Waiiiit," Harry quickly ruffled a hand through his hair, ran the creases out of his robes and rubbed his glassy green eyes. He leapt up slightly unsteadily, trying to remember what time of day it was… he realised that it was lunchtime, but it didn't matter, he wasn't particularly hungry. "Okay, I'm ready."

They began to climb up the marble staircase, Harry making a few calculations in his head and guessing that at last he may have caught up on the couple of hours' sleep he had missed the night before while talking to Ginny; however Professor McGonagall hadn't been too impressed when Harry had dozed off in her class. He had woken up to her screeching at him like an electrified barn owl wearing too much blusher.

Apparently, she had just been wound up for most of the lesson by Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. Harry had thought that, despite her scolding, he had passed the time far more usefully, and besides it was nothing compared to what Malfoy suffered. Draco had left Transfiguration quite white and Pansy had been shaking like tower of exploding snap cards, about to collapse at any moment. McGonagall was _not_ a teacher to be messed with.

They were just approaching the Fat Lady when a door next to them opened and a white cloud astride a blaze of violet strode out of it.

"Hello there, Harry, Ron, Hermione!" greeted Dumbledore.

Three faces smiled back. Something jogged in Harry's mind.

"Professor, I have-" he blurted out, then on realising that Ron and Hermione were staring at him avidly he bit back his tongue.

"Would you like me to spare you a moment, Harry?" Dumbledore swiftly suggested, coming to Harry's aid.

"Yes please," said Harry meekly.

Dumbledore held open his arm, gesturing for Harry to go down the corridor. Harry glanced over his shoulder and saw Ron staring at him open mouthed, while Hermione was on tiptoes whispering something excitedly into his ear.

Laughing to himself, Harry and Dumbledore came to a shadowy corner and the two of them stopped.

"Sir," Harry broke out eagerly, "Professor Dumbledore, I asked her!"

A smile crept out onto Dumbledore's face. "Did you now?" His tone invited Harry further.

"Yes, and she said yes!" Harry grinned and felt like jumping around like fizzing whizzbees, he was so happy. "I can do the Vallati classes!"

"That is most good news, Harry," Dumbledore said, thinking to himself. "I am very proud of you for having the confidence and courage to sort out your thoughts and feelings and ask Miss Weasley. I think it would be of great use for you both to come down to the great hall this evening at eight-thirty."

Harry gaped, his heart somersaulting. "What – we're - we're starting tonight?" he exclaimed.

"The sooner the better," Dumbledore nodded. "You need all the practice you can get."

"Right!" Harry beamed. "Cool, I'll see you there then, at eight-thirty, and with Hermione and Ron too?"

"Yes, and Neville and Luna as well, if possible, please."

"That's fine, Neville's in my next class." Harry's mind was racing ahead. This was so exciting! -It was finally happening!

"And, don't forget Ginny," suggested Dumbledore, winking as Harry started running back down the hallway.

Harry pirouetted round and his laughter rang out clear and bright down the empty corridor. "Don't worry, sir - I'll never forget to ask her again!"

xxxxxx

"These are brilliant!" Ron gaped in awe, smoothing out the front with a flourish and spinning round to face Harry. All morning he had spent lessons, break, and lunch telling everyone he possibly could about the new dress robes he had received for the party, and finally he had time to try them on in their lunch break. After running into the Gryffindor common room, dragging Harry in tow up the stairs to their dormitory, he had taken out the prized parcel and proceeded to almost lovingly pull on the crisp white shirt and black robes and watch them whirl like liquid shadows when he walked.

A huge grin was set onto Ron's face. "I've never had such expensive robes before! I love Fred and George!" Then his eyes lit up appraisingly. "And it's all thanks to you, Harry! If you hadn't have given them your Triwizard winnings, I wouldn't be wearing these!"

Harry, who had decided that since Ron's request from Fred and George had been such a success, was writing to them to ask if they would mind sending him some moonmisticle dust from their shop for the mask he was making. At Ron's kindly words, Harry mumbled something inaudible and felt himself getting rather hot. "…It was nothing," he mumbled.

Nevertheless Ron gave Harry a fond slap on the back and turned back to his bed where the cloak lay folded up among the flaps of brown paper. Harry paused in his writing and watched Ron carefully lift out the midnight cape as if it was crystallised gold and gently let it fall open. It looked like a billowing black cloud as Ron whipped it up and pulled it breathlessly over his red head. Harry thought he saw something black on Ron's forehead as he brought it down under his chin, but then he turned away and so Harry thought nothing more of it.

He turned back to the letter and reached for his leather pouch which was in the trunk at the foot of his bed. He poured out a mound of clinking silver sickles and counted out ten. Harry wasn't sure how much the dust would cost, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Normally Ron's head snapped round at the sound of coins, but he was still fixated with his new robes. Harry sealed the letter and whistled Hedwig over from her current perch on the windowsill.

"Ah, this is cool!" Ron moaned breathlessly. He still had his back to Harry as he examined the fastening on his chest and ran his eyes over his new self. Harry couldn't help himself smiling at the joy in Ron's voice as he tied the large envelope onto Hedwig's leg.

"You look great… Hermione will definitely think you're handsome now!" Harry teased, sending his snowy owl out of the window. Ron turned round, his cheeks flushing bright pink and his red ears luminously clashing with his ginger hair. He began muttering something incoherent.

Harry shook his head, grinning, and sat down again. He looked up at Ron, and then burst out laughing; for a moment Ron looked unsure, but then a massive smile broke out over his face.

"What's up with you, Harry?" he asked, moving over to Harry who had doubled over with tears in his eyes and was clutching his stomach as if he had cramp. "What's so funny?" he demanded indignantly. "Do I look stupid?"

Harry wiped his forehead and gasped, "No… no…!" He gradually met Ron's eyes and immediately it seemed to tickle him with laughter again. Ron mouthed _WHAT?_ and Harry just managed to lift a shaking arm and point at his head.

There imprinted on Ron's forehead was the perfect form of a pigmy puff, its round fluffy outline defined by sharp black lines, and the soft inside of which was a bright pink colour. Its eyes were closed in an expression of pleasure, and a cheeky smile appeared on its face when Ron's fingers wavered about near his eyebrows, creased in a frown.

"What? What is it? Harry!" Ron couldn't feel anything as the little puffskein darted around his fingertips, wiggling its long thin tongue at Harry and winking. Harry just laughed at the amazing magical tattoo.

"All I can say," panted Harry, giving a snort, "is I doubt whether in a minute you will still love Fred and George."

If it was possible Ron turned even redder and his eyes glinted as he grimaced. "What have they done now?" he groaned wearily; he was so used to their pranks.

Without a word Harry dug around in his trunk and removed the small scratched mirror which Sirius had given to him a year or two ago. He lifted it up to Ron.

Ron swore loudly and his right hand flew up to the tattoo on his sweating forehead. He craned forward and stared into the mirror inches from his nose, watching in vain as his fingers scrabbled around the round pigmy puff, which giggled and continuously rolled out of the way with ease.

"What do they think they're playing at?" Ron quizzed Harry, who merely grinned.

"The colour's not too bad," Harry commented airily, the pink merging horribly with the red of Ron's face and hair.

"The colour; the bloody colour!" screeched Ron, so close to being hysterical that he reminded Harry of Hermione. "It's PINK!" he bellowed.

Ron seized the mirror and turned his back on Harry, peering into it and trying to hook the puffskein tattoo off. At that moment Harry saw the previously gold label at the neck of his robes flashing outrageously pink. Harry moved forward and unpinned the small piece of parchment paper. Ron turned round and read what the scratchy words said over Harry's shoulder:

_We got you back for your two-sickle cheek, little Ronald Weasley,_

_So stick this tattoo on your fat backside_

_But if you don't do this before you go to the party_

_It will remain on your forehead where you cannot hide!_

"Oho!" Ron mocked the note and whisked it out of Harry's hands, ripping it up into shreds of fluttering magenta. "We'll see about _that_!" He retreated to the mirror and with his hand in a gnarled position he trapped the rose-coloured pygmy puff inside his cage of fingers, before managing to peel off its wafer-thin form. Ron lifted it up in triumph, waving it in the air as its eyes melted into fear.

"Ha! They think they're so clever, don't they!" Ron sang, and slammed it down onto the lid of Harry's trunk. However, as soon as Ron's hand had let it be, within seconds the puffskein scampered along the top, dropped down the side to the floor, shot over to Ron's feet, flew up his robes and stuck to his forehead again like a magnet.

"Oi, you!" Ron shouted, picking repeatedly at his forehead once more. "Gerroff there!" He tried wrinkling his eyebrows, but the tiny puffskein just danced to the side of the earthquakes. Meanwhile, Harry laughed and smiled in admiration at the cute little tattoo. Compared to this, Muggle ones were so dull and blotchy.

"I wouldn't mind having a wizard tattoo…" Harry mused pensively, smiling pleasantly at the pygmy puff.

"Well, have this one!" Ron said loudly, fighting to prise it off. There was a ring of red fingernail indents all around the chuckling tattoo. At last he unpeeled it again and his eyes shot around the dormitory. With Harry's trunk being the nearest thing, Ron cast the wriggling pink puffskein tattoo in amongst Harry's messy belongings and banged the lid tightly shut.

Nothing happened. Ron heaved a huge sigh of relief and smiled, wiping his brow gingerly. Suddenly, like the stream of letters had shot out of Harry's chimney at Number 4, Privet Drive, the tattoo shot out of the miniscule crack between the lid and the trunk and flew up in a non-existent puff of wind straight onto Ron's forehead once more. Ron gave a cry of frustration and slapped himself on the head. He ended up missing the nimble pigmy puff and instead inflicted great self-injuring, resulting in deep moans and more clutching of his head.

Harry howled with laughter until Ron gave him an extremely meaningful look. While subsiding, Harry gave Ron a hearty pat on the back.

"Maybe," Harry said slowly, thinking, "you should try what Fred and George said."

"_Never_!" came Ron's defiant reply. He shook his head vigorously.

"You can't go around with it plastered to your forehead, Ron. Think about what Malfoy will say in Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Ron tipped his head to the side, considering this horror with wide eyes. Then he looked directly at Harry and conceded that Harry's suggestion did have some merit after all.

After taking off his long cloak and untucking his shirt, Ron probed off the little tattoo for the third time.

"Ok…" Ron said, "Here goes…"

He pulled up his shirt, wedged it under his elbow prior, tugged down the waistband of his trousers and held it back with two fingers of his other arm. Ron strained to see the other two fingers and thumb which trapped the pygmy puff, but was not able to see a thing.

"Go round further," directed Harry. "Left a bit. No, no, that's my left, your right, go right!" Ron struggled to juggle holding back the waistband and somehow in the stages managed to bend over the tattoo and stick it to itself. Cursing, Ron let go of everything and slid back his index finger so that the indignant but chirpy puffskein could straighten itself out again.

The second attempt went slightly better, although Ron ended up sticking it halfway up his back, which resulted in the puffskein obviously deciding that did not count as Ron's backside and retreated speedily to his forehead.

On the third go, Ron was concentrating too much to notice just how much Harry was enjoying himself. Ron placed it carefully behind his back out of his sight, just below the waist, along where the band of his underwear usually went. He took his fingers off the imprint of the puffskein and waited.

"It's still there," Harry told Ron a moment after. Ron bent back his arm and tried to hook his nail under one edge. However, the pink tattoo seemed to have sunk into his actual skin and Harry watched it smile playfully at Ron's poor attempts to uplift it.

"I can't get it off!" Ron said, a touch of panic in his voice. "Harry! It won't come off now!" Ron strained round for a look but was unable to see, yet he tried so hard that he got a crick in his neck and collapsed onto his bed, rubbing the sore place and his lower back alternately, as if he had a bad case of fleas.

"Merlin save me," Ron moaned a minute later, burying his head in his hands. "I have a permanent pink pygmy puff tattoo stuck to my arse, and we have our first Vallatus lesson tonight."

In a bid to be a good friend in Ron's hour of need, Harry restrained himself to a smile and pulled Ron to his feet by his freshly robed arm.

"Come on," Harry said warmly, "let's find Hermione. She'll know what to do." He only hoped they would have enough time to sort it out before they went to class.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Crookshanks and the Pygmy Puff Tattoo

As Harry led Ron down into the common room, he spotted Hermione sitting in one of the comfy scarlet chairs by the empty fireplace, stroking a purring and docile Crookshanks gently on her lap while she waited for the boys to come back down. Then he saw that she was talking to Ginny, who had her back to him, but on recognising the silky waves of long red hair which fell down her slender back his heart rammed into his throat.

_She's just Ron's sister, you just like her because she's his sister…_ Harry told himself, _She's your best mate's sister, you can't have her, you must put Ron first, surely?_ Harry's insides cringed. _She's so popular; she won't even take a look at you, anyway, not in that way…_

Then another voice popped into Harry's head: _But she did used to really like me, she was so nervous around me, and yesterday we got really close, and she was so pleased to learn about Vallati with me…_

The original voice came back. _Don't be so stupid, Harry, she's only a friend, just forget it, OK?_

"C'mon, Ron," Harry said quietly. Ron was following, anxiously running a hand over his lower back, having given Harry strict instructions not to disturb anyone until they reached Hermione, as if they had X-ray vision like Mad-Eye Moody and would be able to tell he had a pygmy puff tattoo on his backside.

"There you are!" said Hermione, looking up at them. "How were the dress-robes, Ron?"

Ginny moved round in her armchair and smiled up at Harry and Ron. "Hey!" she said, sending the voices in Harry's head buzzing into argument again. "Ron, what's the matter? You look like you've just swallowed a flobberworm!"

Ron ignored his sister and turned his back on her. "Hermione, I need your help," he whispered, looking at her meaningfully.

"Pardon?" she said, not able to hear Ron speaking so quietly through the loud chatter in the busy common room.

"I need your help," Ron hissed, leaning slightly closer to her.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you," Hermione said, looking up at Ron as if he was being ridiculous. "Why can't you just talk normally, like everyone else?"

Ron spat in her face he was so exasperated. "I _said_, I need your help!"

Hermione seemed unperturbed. "Well, why didn't you say so?" Ron rolled his eyes at Harry, who was standing next to Ginny. Then Ron saw what Ginny had in her lap.

"Not another bloody one!" he cried, jabbing a finger at Arnold, Ginny's purple pigmy puff, who was humming softly but stopped dolefully when Ron prodded it.

"Get off Arnold!" Ginny swatted Ron's offending hand away and put her arm around him protectively. "Go get your own!"

"I already have one!" Ron said imperiously. "_That_ is the problem!"

"_Who_ mourned for a week when their puffskein was used by Fred for bludger practise?" Ginny reminded him.

"_That_ was _different_," said Ron, who had turned slightly pinker. "One, my puffskein was a custard colour, not bright pink. Two, it wasn't a tattoo the size of a snitch, and three, it wasn't on my-"

Ron broke off and his head turned redder than his hair as all the blood in his body rushed to his head.

"Where?" asked Hermione, perplexed. "Ron?"

"On where?" continued Ginny, a half-smile on her face.

Ron coughed and searched for a change in subject.

"Where did you get this pink puffskein tattoo or whatever-it-is anyway?" Hermione enquired.

Ron's eyes narrowed. "Fred and George. Need I say anymore?" He threw his arms exasperatedly into the air.

Ron didn't look capable of explaining any further so Harry took over. "Ron sent a letter to Fred and George asking them to buy him new dress robes. They did, but as a sort of pay-back they put this charmed tattoo in the robes."

"Pay-back?" Ron said crossly. "What'd I done wrong?"

"You did send them only two sickles," said Harry fairly. "That was hardly enough."

Ginny burst out laughing and gave Harry an appraising look. Ron opened and shut his mouth.

"Charmed?" Hermione picked up. "Is that what is wrong? You can't get it off?"

Harry replied while Ron nodded fervently. "Yes, in brief."

"Well, show it to me and I can try a repel charm before we go off to class," Hermione advised.

"That's not really possible," said Ron delicately. "If you could just tell me how-"

"Oh come on, Ron," said Harry, raising his eyebrows. Ron faintly whimpered as Hermione and Ginny looked at each other. Harry sighed.

"It was on Ron's forehead, but we found this note and eventually did what it told him to do," Harry held out the pink and gold piece of parchment, which Harry had put back together using the _reparo_ charm, thinking it might help Hermione figure out what to do. As the girls' eyes scanned the words, a smile crept up Hermione's face and Ginny began to giggle. Ron looked as if all he wanted to do was to go and dig a hole and die in it.

"It's okay, Ron," Hermione said kindly, although she kind of gave the game away by the smile playing on her lips. "I won't laugh." Ginny continued to giggle and showed no sign of halting at Hermione's words.

Harry forcefully turned Ron around before Ron lifted up his shirt and ever so unhappily nudged down the waistband of his trousers and underwear. Ginny snorted with laughter at the sight of the imprint of a tiny puffskein, winking up at the girls sweetly. If Hermione was laughing, Harry was thankful for Ron's sake that he couldn't hear her due to Ginny's loud howls.

"Don't worry, Ron." Hermione pronounced the words carefully so that Ron wouldn't perceive the hilarity in her voice. She stood up and said "_Repello!_" commandingly, pointing her wand at the tattoo. A beam of red light struck the pygmy puff, but it stayed fixed on Ron's skin.

"Hmmm…" Hermione mused.

"Is it off?" said Ron, feeling his backside.

"No," Hermione informed him, pulling his hand away. "I'm going to try another spell." She lifted her chin into the air and held out her wand. "_Abcaelum Levitate!_"

"Ow!" complained Ron, rubbing a hand over the sore place where an orange spot had glowed momentarily. "It had better be off now!"

"No," Hermione said quietly. "It seems to want to stay on your – well, there - quite resolutely."

"_Oh great_," said Ron sarcastically.

"Hang on, let me have a go," said Harry, having a flash of inspiration. He took Hermione's place and brought his wand out of his robes. "_Accio pygmy puff!"_

In some ways Harry's spell worked. Unfortunately though, a purple pygmy puff went flying through the air instead of the pink tattoo.

"Arnold!" exclaimed Ginny in surprise as her fluffy ball of an animal was pulled out of her hands by an invisible thread and cascaded into Harry's cupped palm.

"Err, sorry," mumbled Harry as he handed Arnold back over to Ginny. He clearly had enjoyed his little adventure to Harry by the loud humming he was issuing, sounding rather like a cross between a cat purring and a lawnmower.

"It's all right!" laughed Ginny, smiling at Harry. Ron turned round, grumbling at the lack of attention on him.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what else to do," Hermione told him. "I suppose I could try a water removal spell, but I might get it wrong."

Harry looked at her rather scathingly. "Hermione, you never get anything wrong."

"Yes I do!" she said.

"No you don't!" said Ron, moving on the spot so that he had his side to her. "And you'd better not this time!"

"Fine!" Hermione huffed, glaring at his face rather than watching where her wand was aimed. "_Fundamente agualis!_"

A jet of white water burst out of the end of Hermione's wand and shot through the air as fast as lightning. It struck Ron's lower back and obscured the pink tattoo, but when the water crashed down onto his trousers and fell into puddles on the floor, there was no tattoo floating among it. Harry looked at Ron's skin, where drops of water hung, and saw the imprint of the pygmy puff shaking its soft hair to get rid of the water.

"It didn't work anyway!" Hermione told Ron haughtily, who was presently feeling how wet his trousers were. "I give up! I don't think there's a way to get it off! If you want to get rid of the tattoo, you can ask Fred and George yourself. Besides, _I_ think it suits you!"

She collapsed back into her chair indignantly and Crookshanks jumped into her lap, hissing menacingly at the water. Hermione lazily pointed her wand at the puddles, sending out warm streams of air to dry them up. After glancing at Harry to see what he thought about Hermione's claim, Ron tried to get in the way of the jets of hot air while Hermione wasn't looking so that he might dry himself.

"It's not _all _that bad," Harry said lightly to Ron.

"Yeah, you who said you wouldn't mind having one! You don't have one stuck on your arse!"

"No one's going to see it," Ginny joined in. "Unless of course, there's someone you're not telling us about…!"

"Oi!" Ron stared at Ginny sourly. She just smiled, staring straight at Harry. Harry stared back into her warm brown eyes.

"Well," Ron continued. "Even if you did have one, I bet you wouldn't want a pink pygmy puff."

"They are quite cute…" Harry admitted gently, earning evils from Ron and affectionate glances from Ginny. She held out Arnold who, when Harry sat down on the arm of her chair, bounced into his cupped hands. Harry stroked the warm soft fur, feeling the body beneath hum in content.

All of a sudden there was a strangled cry of pain: "ARRGGGHHHH!"

Harry glanced up to see Ron doing a sort of war dance on the spot, but he appeared to have a ginger tail gyrating in the air behind him. As he leapt around in agony, Harry saw Crookshanks clinging on to Ron's tender skin, swiping at the pygmy puff tattoo. To Ron's immense relief Hermione quickly pulled her cat off Ron and left him moaning in pain.

"That cat," he wheezed, "is really… evil." Harry saw pricks of red blood in paw-like shapes on Ron's bare back.

"You should have put your shirt back down," Hermione retorted, cradling Crookshanks who was now eyeing up Arnold. Harry took great care to keep Arnold close to his chest. "You were parading temptation in front of his eyes!"

"I was – _what?_ I was drying my clothes!" Ron shouted. "Argh! And even that monster of a ginger carnivore hasn't got rid of this stupid tattoo!"

Harry simply smiled at Ginny and rubbed his fingertips over her purple pygmy puff's soft fur. "I'd quite like a tattoo like that to be honest!" he muttered to her, and they both laughed. Ron however continued to scowl while Hermione wore a constant sour expression that matched Crookshanks' hissing. Their haughtiness persisted into an awkward silence as they made their way to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. It seemed that Ron and Hermione were going to make the Vallati lesson that evening rather more difficult for themselves than first expected… and now Harry was more than wholly content that he would be paired with Ginny, and he couldn't imagine ever wanting to be with anyone else.


	14. Chapter 14

Sorry this has taken so long to update! But don't worry, there are lots more chapters to come shortly, and as you will see Snape will begin to make an important involvement in the events that unfold...

Chapter 14 – Snape's Reluctance

Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting down and getting out their books amidst the usual chatter after lunchtime, and Harry was reminiscing of Ginny again… After sitting with her in the common room, he felt so alive and excited about actually performing magic with her that evening that he felt more awake than he could credit to his morning naps. He was itching for the evening to come, desperate to find out more about Vallati.

Then, as the classroom door banged open, and Professor Snape swept in, his long black cloak billowing out bat-like from his shoulders, commanding a deadly silence, a thought occurred to Harry.

"Good afternoon, class," Snape murmured, striding over to the teacher's desk and beginning to send back homework with tired flicks of his wand, as if this afternoon was anything _but _good, and this was an irksome job to him. "Today we will be learning about Shield Charms," he informed them and flicked up some instructions onto the board behind him.

"Please, sir?" Harry raised his hand, keen to stay in Snape's good books and force himself to be polite, however much it felt unjust to do so when Snape was never polite to him, in order to get the answer he wanted.

"What is it, Potter?" Snape growled as he sent Harry's homework soaring back to him, with an 'Acceptable' grade scrawled on the top. Harry knew he'd written a perfect essay and included everything that might vaguely be relevant and more, because this was his best and most enjoyed subject, but Snape was so disinclined to admit this that all he could do to show his dislike was to not mark it as wrong and give a 'Troll'.

"Sir, I was wondering if you could explain to us what a Vallatus is?" Harry asked. All heads turned to face him when they heard this.

Snape fixed his black eyes on Harry.

"I was not aware that was the subject of today's lesson, Potter, or perhaps you are taking the lesson?" he said snidely.

"But sir, I think it is some kind of defensive magic, and as you are our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, shouldn't you be the one to explain to us what it is?"

"It may be defensive magic, Potter, but it is not what you are learning in today's class. Contrary to what you may believe, _I _am taking this class, not you."

Harry frowned. Why was Snape so reluctant to talk about Vallati? "Have you never made a Vallatus then, sir?" he hazarded a guess.

Snape stared at Harry in silence, boring into his eyes. Then, after a long moment, he said very slowly, "No."

"Why not?"

Immediately Harry could tell had crossed the line containing Snape's patience. Snape's eyes flashed and colour leapt to his sallow cheeks.

"It is none of your business, Potter," he snarled. "I think ten points from Gryffindor might teach you to stop asking impertinent questions."

He turned away to face the blackboard, but Hermione's hand had shot into the air.

"But, sir," she said, "Professor Dumbledore believes that Vallati are one of the most important forms of defence you can have against Dark magic. Shouldn't we learn about them?"

"Miss Granger," said Snape in a dangerously low voice, turning on his heel to glare at the class, "did you not hear me tell Potter that it is _I_, not you, who is taking this class? Professor Dumbledore may believe that Vallati are an important form of defence, but I however believe otherwise, and as I am your teacher, you will be learning what I believe is most important." Hermione turned pink.

"Then what do _you_ think is the most important form of defence?" Harry blurted out before he could stop himself.

Snape turned to fix his beady eyes on Harry, a leer forming on his face. "Occlumency, and a quick mind," he said softly. "_Both _qualities that you severely lack, Potter." Snape stared at Harry, and Harry stared back, knowing his was being goaded into retorting, but he would refuse to give Snape that pleasure of earning himself detention. "So," Snape eventually said, casting his gaze over the whole class, "due to Potter's inadequacies we will have to start from basics. We will be learning how to perform a Shield Charm, which should be quite taxing enough for you all. I doubt anyone here can tell me what a Shield Charm does and why it is important?"

Harry had difficulty suppressing a laugh. Unknown to Snape, he, Harry, had learnt this for the Triwizard Tournament in fourth year, and had subsequently taught the others members of the DA this exact Shield Charm only last year. They had all learned it so proficiently that even Neville could consistently deflect spells that were shot at him.

Usually in Snape's class, it was only Hermione who raised her hand, but this time round many hands shot instantly into the air, including Harry's, Ron's, Dean's, Seamus', and Neville's. Snape looked slightly taken aback but quickly tried to hide this. "Yes, Weasley?" he snapped irritably.

Ron still looked rather out-of-sorts following the escapade with the pink pygmy puff tattoo, but he seemed quite determined to prove himself for once in front of Snape, seeing as he had never once managed that achievement in five years of Potions. "A Shield Charm acts as a defensive barrier so that jinxes and curses and stuff rebound and don't hurt you, or don't affect you as much as they would have done," he answered.

"That is more or less correct," Snape admitted, loath to give praise, "but whether your friend agrees is another matter altogether." He turned to face Harry. "Get up, Potter!"

As Harry stood to his feet defiantly and walked to the front of the class, Snape said, "I will now demonstrate what can happen if you fail to perform a sufficient Shield Charm. Potter, face me."

Harry took out his wand and faced the wand Snape pointed directly at his face, adrenaline but no fear coursing through his body. He knew what to do. He focussed hard on Snape's face, concentrating on how much he loathed him, and how good it would feel to stand up to him, to humiliate _him_ for once in front of the whole class…

As soon as Harry saw Snape's lips move as he began to articulate a spell, Harry bellowed with all the strength he could muster, "PROTEGO!"

The force of Harry's Shield Charm was so strong that Snape was flung backwards into the air with a bang, and hit the wall before crumpling to the floor. Loud laughter from Harry's fellow Gryffindors filled the room and Harry felt a burst of triumph. Snape climbed to his feet, looking livid. The laughter quickly evaporated into a tense silence.

"I asked you to block me, not assault me, Potter. Twenty points from Gryffindor."

"_What_!" exclaimed Ron, gaping at Snape. "Harry did what you asked, he performed the Shield Charm perfectly!"

"Silence, Weasley, or I will take more points away," Snape said silkily. "Now, everyone pair up and practise the Shield Charm on each other. Weasley, you will go with Crabbe; Draco, come here and sort out Longbottom." He flicked his wand to clear away the desks and chairs; everyone who had not yet stood up found themselves falling on the floor. The room was filled with clamouring as Slytherins paired up with Gryffindors, eager to attack and defend.

Harry found himself unpartnered; after seeing his exceptional capability of performing the Shield Charm, no one seemed brave enough to face him. He watched as Neville tentatively approached Malfoy, who was laughing with glee. _Come on, Neville,_ Harry thought, _you can do this_. Neville trembled as he held out his wand and Malfoy laughed even harder, but Harry could see Neville's face redden as he screwed up his face in concentration.

"Pro – Protego!" He cried, and Malfoy was forcefully pushed back a step, the smile wiped off his face. He looked shocked, as if he had been slapped. Harry watched with amusement as Snape tried to hurry over to help Malfoy but was held up by several more Slytherins falling backwards into him.

"Well done, Neville!" Ron yelled encouragingly while Crabbe also flew backwards and promptly tripped over his own big feet.

The air was filled with the bold shouts of his friends and cries of the Slytherins as they were thwarted. Harry could not resist a smile. He couldn't remember enjoying a DADA class this much since Mad-Eye Moody had taken them. Snape was totally overwhelmed by the failure of his House's students, and seemed furious that the Gryffindors were enjoying themselves so much – he clearly had never dreamed that this would be the outcome, and Harry grinned, meeting Hermione's eye: this had to be one of the moments he was most proud of his friends, and he had a wonderfully good feeling that told him they would do well in the Vallati lesson that night.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – The Vallatus

They were so excited at the arrival of their first Vallatus lesson that the five Gryffindors arrived down at the entrance hall a quarter of an hour early. Harry, Ron and Ginny had brought their own broomsticks, but Hermione and Neville had borrowed two rather old, battered looking brooms from the school's own supply earlier. As they were milling around in the torchlit entrance hall Luna joined them, carrying a very knobbly broomstick.

Unusually, the doors into the Great Hall were closed, and as at this time of day most students were back in their common rooms a quiet gloom had descended over the castle. They were just wondering whether or not they should enter when the heavy doors opened magically of their own accord and groaned inwards.

They all stood watching. "Shall we go in?" asked Hermione timidly. They all nodded but nobody seemed daring enough to make the first move. Harry sighed and walked in.

Tonight the enchanted ceiling was a deep velvet sky sprinkled with silver stars and around the stone walls the fire torches burned brightly. The four long tables and benches had been pushed to the sides, relinquishing a large space on the flagstone floor where a figure cloaked in green stood.

"Good evening, Potter." Professor McGonagall nodded tersely to him. Harry was surprised to see her - for some reason he had expected only Dumbledore to be teaching them. "Good evening, Weasley, Weasley, Granger, Longbottom, Lovegood." Luna trailed in last, pushing the door closed behind her with great effort. Professor McGonagall asked her to lock the door.

"We do not want any interruptions," Professor Dumbledore explained as he walked into view. He stood before them and observed the six students, looking pleased at the prompt turnout. "A very good evening to you all."

Hermione shifted nervously and looked at her feet but everyone else's eyes were glued on Dumbledore's wizened face, eager to begin. Ginny was tapping the handle of her broom against her shoulder restlessly.

"Before we start," Dumbledore said, as if reading their minds, "I think I should make it clear why I think you should have these private lessons. With the return of Voldemort, none of us will be able to escape the war that will come and your defences must be resilient. Could any of you tell me how learning to perform Vallati will help? I do not expect you to know much about this kind of magic."

Harry looked at the others, but nobody else seemed to know either. Snape had certainly not enlightened them earlier that afternoon.

"Does is make you stronger?" asked Neville. "My Gran said that they helped a lot when You-Know-Who was last in power."

"Yes, and no," said Dumbledore slowly. "It involves uniting the powers of two witches or wizards, so that you are doubly strong and well-protected. When under an outnumbered attack the benefits are immeasurable. You can draw on the strength of your companion if you are weak and your companion can protect you."

"Sir," Ron said abruptly. "Err… where do broomsticks come into this?"

"I shall show you in a minute, Mr Weasley," Dumbledore replied. "Now, as you will have noticed, Professor McGonagall has kindly agreed to aid me in these lessons. Obviously, matters would be much harder to teach if I was alone, since two of us are required to form a Vallatus."

His acclaimed accomplice turned to him. "I still do not think this is a wholly good idea, Albus," Professor McGonagall confided in him in a low voice. "They are still young… and this is very complex magic. It is putting all the wrong ideas into their heads."

"Do not trouble yourself, Minerva," Dumbledore replied. "They are perfectly capable under our guidance, and the time may soon come where rather they need to defend themselves, and then would you not rather them to have learnt this magic?"

Professor McGonagall gave an awkward, curt sort of nod. While she trusted Dumbledore her misgiving was not allayed and she persisted, "But still, Albus-"

"-Please pass me my broomstick, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore cut over McGonagall's fretting and continued speaking to the six of them as Ginny fetched the teachers' brooms from the Gryffindor table. McGonagall's lips formed a thin, tight line. "As you have just heard, the Vallatus charm is indeed complex magic, and it is just as important to master the unspoken connection between the two of you as it is to master the spells you speak. Thank you."

Dumbledore took the broom from Ginny with a courteous smile, but Professor McGonagall on the other hand wore a faint scowl. Harry caught Ginny's eye and had to work hard not to laugh, quickly lowering his eyes and inspecting polished handle of his Firebolt to erase McGonagall's expression from his mind.

Dumbledore coughed politely. "It will be easier if Professor McGonagall and I do a demonstration before I give you instructions so that you can see what is to be done. Please line up along here so that you can watch."

They shifted into position and on looking down the line Harry beheld Dumbledore's broomstick for the first time, poised in the air beside him. To his immense surprise it was merely an old Comet 360, vibrating energetically.

"Yes, go on and laugh, Harry," Dumbledore chuckled, noticing Harry's stare. "I assure it is a most trusty broom, and I have no need for such flashy prototypes as yours." All eyes switched onto Harry's gleaming Firebolt, poised and perfectly balanced, and Ron gave a wistful sigh. Professor McGonagall coughed briskly.

"Forgive me, Minerva." They both nodded to each other and then mounted their brooms. It was quite a sight to see, Dumbledore with his sweeping silver beard and long robes draped over a tremulous broomstick, rising off the ground simultaneously with McGonagall. The two teachers soared into the air a few feet away and just above the level of their heads; Dumbledore with his purple robes billowing majestically and McGonagall rather hawk-like as she leant forward on her broomstick. They came to hover opposite each other in the centre of the Great Hall.

"Please watch carefully," Dumbledore called down to them. Beside Harry, Hermione stood up as straight as a wand, craning forwards avidly. Harry tried not to be distracted and looked up too.

Dumbledore and McGonagall clasped each other's left hands and with their spare hand pointed their wands at their linked hands. They held each other's gaze before casting the charm as one:

"_Vocamus vallatus!"_

A bright light the size of a marble had erupted from where their wandtips touched and within seconds it had burst outwards to surround them in a perfectly spherical cage of deep, cobalt blue flames, between which were panes of shimmering, shifting light. Harry's jaw dropped open as the familiarity of the scene occurred to him… _He was shooting down into a steep dive, plummeting headfirst towards the ground of the Quidditch pitch… Ginny was falling through the air… he caught hold of her and suddenly pale blue tongues of fire were surrounding them… it was a sphere that prevented them from crashing to the ground when they were only feet away…_

"Remember to concentrate!" Dumbledore's voice broke Harry's realisation that he and Ginny had accidentally formed a weak Vallatus already by complete accident. He focussed his attention earnestly back on the blue bubble of light above him. Dumbledore and McGonagall were now flying off around the room, never far apart but constantly circling each other within the shining orb. The charm followed them on their circuit around the hall, always equidistant from the epicentre of their circling. When they had returned to their starting point, they both raised their wands above their heads, as if to touch the blue shell arcing over them.

"_Finite incantatem."_

The colour drained out of the sphere, like blood running out of veins, until it was nothing more than a shimmer as if a film of water surrounded the two professors – and then it was gone.

"Wicked," Ron murmured, gazing upwards in awe. Harry grinned nervously at Ginny and she beamed back, shaking her hair back over her shoulder coolly, ready to try for herself. Hermione, who had been staring up at the Vallatus unblinkingly, now looked as if she was frantically trying to recount everything they had to do in her mind. Ron although impressed was gripping his broomstick so tightly that his knuckles were white. Neville looked positively terrified at the prospect of attempting to achieve anything remotely resembling what Dumbledore had just shown them, while Luna seemed totally unfazed like Ginny and smiled serenely.

Dumbledore and McGonagall landed neatly in front of them. Professor McGonagall seemed rather relieved to be on the ground again and blind to their praise, whereas Dumbledore smiled with a twinkle in his eye, clearly having enjoyed the demonstration too.

"Thank you, thank you," he said, waving his hand to quieten down their applause. "Now I would just like to run through a few things before you all have a go. As I mentioned in my letter to you all, it is important that you have a good bond with your partner because you must work closely with them to create a successful Vallatus. You need to open up your mind and deepen your awareness of each other. At this stage, I would say eye-contact will help you a great deal. And do not forget to concentrate _all_ the time, or the charm will fail." Dumbledore surveyed them all; everyone was suddenly very quiet.

"Let's practise pronouncing the charm while you are on the ground," he said. "Without wands for now. _Vocamus vallatus._"

"Vocamus vallatus," they echoed.

"Loud and clear please Mr Weasley," McGonagall admonished Ron, who promptly turned bright red. "You need to _enunciate_. Again." She instructed them with a flick of her wand.

"Vocamus vallatus," they chorused, more loudly.

"Excellent," said Dumbledore, smiling delightedly. "Now, I think we shall do this one at a time," he said wisely, clearly expecting everyone to be falling about all over the place. "Harry, why don't you and Miss Weasley come and show us what you can do?"

Harry took a deep breath and nodded, wishing for once that he was not Dumbledore's favourite student. Ginny however was so keen that she had already leapt onto her broom and soared up into the air in the centre of the Hall. Harry glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded encouragingly, and followed after Ginny. As he pulled his broom around to hover opposite her he saw the eyes of his four friends trailing him and he hoped he wouldn't make a fool of himself in front of them. He slowly moved a bit closer, trying to block Hermione's frown out of his mind so that he would not have a lapse in concentration and accidentally shoot straight into Ginny.

"That's enough, Harry," Dumbledore called up to them. Harry didn't dare take his eyes away from Ginny now that their broom handles were less than a foot apart. "Take hold of each other's left hand."

Keeping hold of his broom with his other hand, Harry held out his left hand and carefully grasped Ginny's; it was warm and comforting, and along with her smile it put him a little more at ease.

"Relax, Harry," she whispered. "You're at home on a broomstick, you don't need to worry."

He nodded; it was true, he had let go of his broom many a time to catch the Snitch and not spiralled out of control, so it shouldn't be any different for him this time.

"Wands out," Dumbledore prompted them. They both released their hold on their broomsticks and reached into their robes to draw their wands. Harry could feel Ginny leaning on him to keep her broom steady, and for some reason knowing that she was relying on him made him swell with confidence and pride. He met her eyes and smiled.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready," she breathed in affirmation.

They brought their wandtips together so that they were touching and resting on top of their linked hands. Dumbledore was instructing them about something but Harry was concentrating too hard to hear what he was saying – he didn't want to risk shooting sparks out of his wand by accident and burning Ginny's hand. He held Ginny's eyes so that they would cast the spell simultaneously.

"On the count of three," he suggested. "One… two… three…

"_Vocamus vallatus!"_

They were slightly out of time and Harry could feel Ginny's wand being held unsteadily against his as a few unbidden nerves broke to the surface, but while he expected nothing to happen, he wanted the charm to work so much, and he focussed so hard on Ginny that he felt he would be absorbed into her glowing brown eyes. Just as he felt he could not concentrate on Ginny so intently any longer without succumbing to his urge to kiss her, he felt a warm, glowing feeling spreading out over his clasped hand and trickle down past his wrist. Unable to resist looking, he dropped his gaze and saw a very pale blue ball of fire encompassing their clasped hands and growing slowly, inch by inch.

There was some cheering from down below. "Keep going!" Dumbledore shouted. "Concentrate, Harry…"

Harry stared at the globe of light with all his might, willing it to expand like Dumbledore's had, but it seemed to be more like a balloon on the point of bursting under too great a weight rather than one with a will to inflate.

"Harry!" Ginny hissed, and he looked up, finding her staring avidly at him.

"Sorry," he muttered, having forgotten about the importance of eye-contact. Immediately the sphere began to swell unheeded and the warmth of a welcoming winter fire began to spread outwards, engorging their whole arms, washing over their faces, and passing through their bodies, so that at the edge of his vision Harry could see a faint white-blue shimmer. It had worked! He couldn't resist grinning and Ginny mirrored him, her eyes full of excitement.

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Dumbledore was clapping whole-heartedly. "Now, I think you can let go, carefully… but hold that connection you can feel in your minds."

Harry released his grip on Ginny, only to realise how tightly he had been squeezing her hand. As the blood flooded back into his tensed muscles, he held that link to Ginny in his mind, still looking into her eyes. It was hard to co-ordinate so many things at once, but he managed to slowly draw his broomstick back a couple of feet. He was afraid of popping the Vallatus but it simply inflated a little to compensate for his movement.

Dumbledore called up to them again. "You should be ready to break eye-contact and move around in the Vallatus now, as long as you focus on that connection between you," he said. Harry nodded to Ginny and then they both tentatively looked away from each other, while Harry tried to keep her in his mind and keep hold of that lovely, content feeling she put in his heart. He glanced around and saw pale blue flames, like shallow waves in sunlit waters, shimmering and flowing around them. He had expected them to obscure his sight, but as he peered down to the group clustered below, he found his vision sharpened as if he were looking through a particularly powerful lens.

_Ginny_. Harry found himself losing concentration and had seen the colour draining out of the flames, but as soon as he remembered Ginny and tried to find his connection with her again in his mind, the blue colour flooded back.

_Yes?_

Harry looked round at Ginny in shock. It had sounded as if she was speaking quietly inside his head, but instead she had her lips sealed in a soft smile as she drifted around anticlockwise, still watching him. Instinctively Harry found his broom also drift anticlockwise to mirror her. Her smile quirked upward as she detected his shock.

_You can hear me?_ Harry wondered in astonishment, gazing at her with round eyes.

Ginny nodded, dropping lower, and Harry rose up.

_Wow…_

It felt amazing to be able to communicate without even speaking… every thought passing seamlessly between them, each balancing the other's movements, each feeling the other's presence as they circled the air, testing out the strength of the gradually intensifying Vallatus.

Soon Harry felt himself laughing and a boundless happiness was radiating from Ginny too. They cycled in the air and gently headed around the Great Hall in a slow circuit, bringing the Vallatus with them. No matter where they went, as long as they never strayed far from each other, the blue protective shell remained around them, a few feet from Harry's head as he rose upwards, a few feet from his toes as he now dropped down.

Dumbledore, McGonagall and their friends were applauding animatedly below and calling up to them, asking them how it was, how to do it. Harry couldn't hear everything they were saying - he was trying too hard to keep in tune with Ginny's thoughts - but he could pick out McGongall's distinctive sharp voice as she muttered to Dumbledore, "You were right Albus… I had forgotten his father's skill."

Harry grinned. A wonderful joy leapt in his chest as he learnt that his father had also performed this magic and that he was following in his footsteps…

_You are really good at this, Harry…_

_No I'm not, it's you! _Harry thought, catching Ginny's eye as they fluidly moved about, gathering speed with confidence. She laughed and they both flew forwards faster.

There was a sound of heavy creaking from down below and at the corner of his sight Harry saw the huge oak doors to the Great Hall being pushed open.

_Harry!_

Ginny magnetised his concentration back to maintaining the Vallatus but curiosity was getting the better of Harry… he had thought the door was locked to prevent anyone else entering, so who could it be?

Harry's eyes dropped and with them so did his heart –

The billowing black figure of Professor Snape was striding into the Hall, his wand held high over his head as he sent the colossal doors slamming back together with a loud boom. Harry felt something shaking; he wasn't sure if it was him, or if he could sense Ginny losing concentration too, but when he looked up he saw the sphere quivering, like glass on the brink of shattering.

He tried to concentrate to rescue the unstable Vallatus, but now he couldn't seem to block out Dumbledore speaking below.

"Ah, good evening Severus, I'm glad you could make it."

_What?_ Cried a voice in his head. Harry couldn't tell if it was his or Ginny's, but it could easily have been both. Why on earth was _Snape_ meant to be helping with the lesson when he had been more than unhelpful on the matter earlier? And this was in no way helping; he was struggling to reinstate what had seconds ago had felt second nature.

With resentment bursting through his veins Harry glanced down and he saw Snape come to a standstill and raise his black, glinting eyes up to focus on Harry's.

"Ah," Snape murmured.

As anger boiled through him Harry saw Snape's eyes flash and suddenly Harry felt the warm shell crumble around him and Ginny; he was splashed by cold waves in all directions and experienced a strange sense of vulnerability and isolation as the connection between him and Ginny broke. The light of the Vallatus extinguished and he and Ginny veered off in separate directions, no more joined… the charm had broken.

"You were never one for much concentration, Potter," Snape said softly, a sneer creeping up the side of his face out of sight from Dumbledore and the others. Harry gave him a vicious glare and pulled his broom about to head back down towards his friends.

"Ah, never mind, Harry," Dumbledore was saying. "That was marvellous for your first try. You and Miss Weasley held the Vallatus for a good minute or two." But Harry had no ears for this… his mind was filled with violent abuse for Snape – he couldn't hear for his mind yelling with the injustice of it all. Ginny landed beside him and he could see her shaking with fury too.

"Well done, Ginny," McGonagall said warmly, patting Ginny on the shoulder. Ginny nodded but her eyes were cold and her expression was just as set as Harry's.

"Next up…" Dumbledore proceeded.

Harry watched as Ron and Hermione, and then Neville and Luna, took their turns in attempting to cast a Vallatus, but he couldn't stop cursing Snape in his mind. Why did Snape _always_ have to ruin everything? The Vallatus had been going so well until he had come in, gloating at Harry's failure…

"I'm sorry I lost it," Harry muttered to Ginny bitterly, quietly so Snape would not hear.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," Ginny leant close and whispered in his ear. "You know what Snape's like. He probably waited to come in when it was our turn to distract you on purpose."

Harry scowled. He looked over at Snape, who bore an air of distinct smugness about him. He thought Ginny had a point, but it only served to incense him even further. Why did Dumbledore ask Snape to join them? They were perfectly fine following the demonstration and instructions from him and McGonagall… why did they need Snape, especially when he expressed such a striking determination to unsettle everyone. Poor Neville was having trouble even steadying his broom with Snape leering up at him from below.

McGonagall hurried forward, observing this diabolical situation. "Severus, will you please advise Miss Granger and Mr Weasely? I will handle Longbottom and Lovegood." Neville wiped the sweat off his brow shakily as Snape strode over to join Dumbledore further up the hall beneath Ron and Hermione's faintly glowing sphere. To Harry's surprise it wasn't blue, it was pale red, like blood diluted with running water.

"Why is theirs a different colour?" Harry asked Ginny.

"I don't know, but look at theirs!" Ginny pointed to Neville and Luna, and to Harry's surprise he saw a ring of yellow light encircling them.

"Well done, Neville! Well done, Luna!" Harry shouted.

Their Vallatus promptly collapsed, but after a couple more tries Neville and Luna managed to form another. Hermione and Ron meanwhile were tentatively heading down the length of the hall, gradually gaining in confidence the further they got away from Snape and his criticisms. Neither of the other two Vallati had as intense a colour as Harry's and Ginny's, but Harry was elated that his friends had succeeded in forming the charm as they had.

Within no time at all, it seemed, Dumbledore was calling them down and gathering them together in the centre of the hall. Neville expressed significant relief at nearing the ground once more, but upon receiving a glare from Snape he lost all control and nearly toppled off his broom, had Harry not been there to steady him. As Dumbledore addressed them all, Harry could feel Neville quaking next to him.

"How the time has flown!" Dumbledore said, beaming around at them. "Now you have all had a go and successfully formed a Vallatus. Congratulations to all six of you! I think that has been exerting enough for you tonight, but we will resume tomorrow evening and begin casting spells whilst you try to maintain the Vallatus. Have a good night's sleep and I shall see you tomorrow! Off you go, chop chop!"

Harry was a little disappointed not to have another chance at the Vallatus, but he turned to Ron and Hermione and indeed they did look rather drained. So together they headed wearily towards the doors and instantly Harry was surrounded by exhilarated conversation. Harry didn't feel like talking, though, he was feeling too morose about Snape spoiling what had, up to that point, been such an incredible lesson… that feeling of soaring through the air connected with Ginny had been amazing…

At that moment a black cloak whipped sharply around Harry's face and he looked up, smarting, to see Snape striding past and holding out his wand to command the doors open again. On the threshold he turned to watch Harry, with what Harry could only explain to be an ugly self-satisfied leer on his face. As they passed within inches of each other, Harry felt bitter hatred brimming within him. Ginny grabbed his hand to stop him from retaliating and Snape's lip curled.

"Until tomorrow, Potter," he said in his silkiest voice. Harry pursed his lips and turned away, only to see Draco Malfoy loitering against the banister of the marble staircase.

"Alright, Scarface?" he laughed and pushed himself off the stair rail, turning up his nose as if wishing not to get too close to Hermione, who was nearest.

"Come, Draco," Snape said sternly, and marched Draco swiftly over to the door to the dungeons. Harry could see Hermione was bothered by the fact Draco had probably been eavesdropping on their private lesson, but what disturbed Harry more was that smug, self-indulgent smile that Snape had leered over Harry… It was as if Snape had got just what he wanted from coming this evening - but it was something more than simply taunting Harry as per usual… Something that Snape relished _even_ further, something that gave him such a profound pleasure in totally ruining Harry's Vallatus with Ginny… Yet no matter how much he puzzled over this uneasy thought before crashing into bed ten minutes later, Harry had no idea what it was.

**xXxXx**

Please leave a review! It's quite disheartening when people read but don't leave a review... I don't know if you're enjoying the story! Any comments and suggestions, however short or long, would be greatly appreciated :)

The exciting part of the story is coming up now! I can't wait! :D


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi, sorry for the delay in the update! But I hope the wait will be worthwhile! Do let me know what you think :)**

Chapter 16 – Snape's Vision

Over the course of the next day, Harry made plans for the coming evening. Firstly, Harry resolved to take his Invisibility Cloak down to the Vallatus class with him, so that if Malfoy was skulking around again afterwards he could slip after him and find out what he was up to. He thought that perhaps Snape would escort Malfoy away again and he would be able to eavesdrop on their conversation…

Harry was convinced that Snape was in on Malfoy's plan, whatever it was. After overhearing what Snape had said to Malfoy during Slughorn's Christmas party, he had known that Malfoy had a task and Snape had sworn on the Unbreakable Vow to help him succeed… but only now did Ron and Hermione finally believe him. Malfoy's bizarre and cocky behaviour around them certainly reinforced this notion, but what was in some ways even odder was Snape's desire to whisk Malfoy away the night before rather than leave him taunting them. Malfoy was not stupid enough to jinx them with Dumbledore and McGonagall so close by… was it that Snape was afraid Malfoy would brag one step too far and let slip some part of their plan? Or was something else bothering Snape? …Whatever it was, Harry was determined to find out before this plan sprung up around him.

Then, secondly, he swore to himself that he would not let Snape ruin his Vallatus with Ginny again. Unfortunately it looked like Snape would be there again this evening, but this time Harry knew what to expect, and he knew what he had to do. If he could just unleash his feelings for Ginny a little more he suspected it would make a world of difference to the strength of their Vallatus. He felt nervous about doing this – if he admitted to himself, he felt shy – but he was sure that Ginny would be impressed if they succeeded in making a really powerful Vallatus, in particular in the presence of Snape and his mockery. Thus he spent the majority of his lessons dreaming up potential scenarios of that evening's class… he imagined staring into Ginny's beautiful eyes, experiencing that wonderful whooping feeling, letting the power rise up from within him and create an amazing Vallatus… Ginny gazing at him in admiration, unable to take her eyes off him… praising him after the class… drawing very close…

Usually at this point in his fantasising Harry jerked himself back to the tedium of class, realised that his thoughts were becoming more and more inappropriate and implausible, and noticed that Hermione was looking at him rather oddly. Usually all he had to say at this stage was that he had been trying to work out what Malfoy was up to, and then Ron came to his aid and agreed that it was far more important to find out Malfoy's plan that to pay attention in class, and thereby they managed to pacify her. But while he knew it _was_ crucial that they found out Malfoy's plan, and quickly, he simply couldn't help allowing his thoughts to swirl around Ginny instead. How he longed to be with her that evening…

**xXxXx**

Harry could not believe it. He and Ginny had been put with Snape. _Specifically allocated Snape_. He let out such a deep groan that he wouldn't have been surprised if the stone floor had trembled and the windows had rattled in their frames.

Dumbledore's plan for the Vallatus lesson was for them to once again conjure their protective Vallati charms, and then each of the teachers would attempt to penetrate a Vallatus with, in Dumbledore's words, "minor, attacking spells, such as Expelliarmus". However, as the Expelliarmus spell had become Harry's signature move, he was convinced that Snape would not enjoy using this and in addition would be quite at ease sending rather more major attacking spells. It was just his luck to have Snape poking in his nose and rudely interfering with Harry's special time with Ginny.

Nevertheless, Harry thought grimly as he and Ginny moved aside from the others and mounted their brooms, at least he had prepared himself for facing the prospect of Snape's unsavoury presence this time round. Besides, he might get the chance to 'accidentally' shoot a spell at Dumbledore and blast a hole in his hat… that would show him not to pair Harry ever again with the one person who would be least conducive to being in any remote way helpful.

Harry flew swiftly after Ginny and joined her in midair, carefully eying up Snape to make sure he did not try to catch them unawares too early – but Snape had his back to them and was pacing up towards the teachers' table. Ginny leant close to Harry, making the hairs on his arms stand on end.

"Why has Dumbledore paired us with Snape?" she whispered, giving him a sidelong glance. "Surely he knows by now that you hate Snape?"

Harry watched as Snape spun round, wand out at the ready, with a malicious smile dancing on his lips. He was clearly revelling in the opportunity to decide which delightful curse out of the plethora he had up his sleeve to shower upon Harry first.

"Maybe Dumbledore wanted to give Snape some fun," Harry muttered darkly. He was _definitely_ going to try to blast a hole in Dumbledore's hat now, with great vengeance. "Come on, I doubt Snape will play fairly."

They moved to face each other and Harry took Ginny's hand… a flare of pride reared inside his chest at her touch. And in spite of Snape's beady stare fixated upon him, Harry looked at Ginny as if he was in one of his dreams where they were perfectly alone and he had nothing to fear from revealing himself. It mattered not if Snape, or Ginny, or even the rest of Hogwarts saw the contents of his pulsating heart, because Harry knew that in a Vallatus this content was his greatest strength, and if he let himself go just for a second as they cast the charm, then within a moment a really powerful Vallatus would be formed around them and Ginny would be filled with total admiration and forget all of what she had seen in the depths of his soul. So Harry summoned up the courage to let himself become overcome in a fierce mixture of love, joy and desire as he gazed deep into Ginny's keen eyes, laying out all his cards to her and praying that in a moment he would reap the rewards.

And sure enough, even though he shook with fear as he exposed his true feelings to Ginny with such naked vulnerability, in the very instant that they whispered the spell there was an almighty flash of blue light as if all of the ocean had sprung out from a single dew drop held between their wand tips, and a massive orb of rich blue hue reared into being around them. They both looked up in wonder, but the emotions pulsing between them were so heightened that the protective charm did not weaken. In fact its colour was significantly more intense than it had been the night before and Harry instinctively knew that this reflected the strength of their charm. His eyes slid to Ginny and she gave him a brilliant smile; his heart did a somersault and simultaneously the Vallatus swelled outwards a few more feet. Harry felt an intense blushing heat rise over his cheeks and he swerved upwards, shielding his face from both Ginny and Snape below, and taking advantage of the greater size of the Vallatus.

For a few minutes Harry and Ginny flew around the room, not speaking but feeling more than hearing the fiery connecting buzzing between them. Harry's eyes drifted over Luna and Neville's Vallatus, which kept popping in and out of being like a dodgy Muggle light bulb, and then they had some fun circling around Ron and Hermione's Vallatus, seeing how close they could get before one of the pairs was knocked off course. Only when Dumbledore started chuckling as Harry and Ginny's blue Vallatus weaved neatly in and out of Ron and Hermione's scarlet Vallatus did Snape irritably summon them back to the top of the Hall.

"You seem incapable of refraining from showing off your Quidditch skills at any possible moment, Potter," Snape spat in distaste as Harry and Ginny came to linger several feet from him. "You are just like your father." Snape glared upwards and Harry glared back down, coolly detaching himself from Snape's provocation by letting his mind wallow in warm thoughts of Ginny. After a moment Snape seemed to realise he was being unsuccessful at breaking Harry's concentration this way and changed tack.

"I am going to attempt to penetrate your defences with several manners of spells," Snape said coolly, running his fingers up and down the shaft of his wand. "You will fly around me and attempt to maintain your Vallatus… We shall see how long it lasts," he finished with relish and Harry scowled. Snape pulled back his sleeves and brandished his wand.

_Let's go._

Together Harry and Ginny began their circuit around Snape, bracing themselves for his attack. While Harry kept his mind on the Vallatus, he kept his eye on Snape, and sensed that Snape was prepared to challenge them far more than Dumbeldore or McGonagall would.

_Ginny…?_ Harry thought, and at once he felt her attention blazing upon him. _I don't think Snape is going to play fair…_

Harry was glad they were able to communicate silently; it gave them a significant advantage over Snape and augmented his confidence considerably. If Snape had never performed a Vallatus, perhaps he did not even know they could do this.

_What should we do?_ He heard Ginny's voice reply anxiously to his warning.

Harry smiled reassuringly, and even though he didn't look at her, he could feel the strength of their Vallatus surge as he put Ginny at ease. _If it gets out of hand, we'll just do the Shield Charm. Don't worry. _He let his eyes flicker momentarily onto the girl beside him and he exhaled longingly… If the emotions he was experiencing were anything to go by, their Vallatus would be impenetrable tonight. Harry turned back to focus on Snape, unable to hold back a hint of a smile from his lips.

They drifted through the air more slowly now, poised for action at the slightest sign of attack from Snape. Harry concentrated his mind very intently and he could feel Ginny doing the same; they both wore hard-set expressions and were using their connection to put forth all of their confidence and strength into the shining sapphire Vallatus encircling them.

Snape lifted his wand to commence what was sure to be an unfair onslaught.

"Expelliarmus!"

Harry fought hard to resist, but against his will his wand-arm was dragged out in front of him to the very rim of the sphere, as if Snape had cast out an invisible hook. Then, just as Harry thought he would be forced to let go of his wand, it halted, stubbornly refusing to pass through the blue flames. He managed to keep a grip on it, and with a flicker of satisfaction he saw irritation surface in Snape's expression.

_Well done, Harry!_ He heard Ginny praise him and he was filled with delight.

_Thanks_, he replied. Then he saw Snape's eyes flicker from him to Ginny, and back. He had realised they could communicate. He subsequently threw several increasingly harder spells at them.

"Obscuro!" he cried, clearly hoping that this would break their connection. But Harry and Ginny had poured forth so much power into their Vallatus that no blindfolds wrapped over their eyes.

"Confundo!" Snape attacked again instantly. The Vallatus quivered but they remained undisturbed.

"Langlock!"

Harry couldn't hold back a laugh – even if Snape's spell had worked, he and Ginny could still communicate via the link between their minds. Ripples ran across the Vallatus but it stood firm.

_Keep going Ginny,_ he said soundlessly.

Now Snape was quite clearly incensed, and Harry could tell by the look in his eyes that he was going to bombard them with strong spells regardless of Dumbledore's presence in the same room.

"Levicorpus!" He spat and flicked his wand. Harry felt the Vallatus swing a few feet up into the air and his broom momentarily fight to dislodge him, but thankfully he and Ginny remained seated on their brooms. His heart began to beat rapidly as he gripped his broom handle more tightly with sweaty hands.

"_Reducto!_" Snape bellowed, his eyes glinting wildly.

The Vallatus trembled at the force of Snape's fierce spell and Harry could feel Ginny's link begin to slip away from him. She looked worriedly at him and he met her eyes, shaking his head an infinitesimal amount.

_Don't let go, Ginny, hold on!_

But Snape seized the opportunity and, wearing a maniacal grin, shouted, "_Legilimens!"_

There was a brief pause, where Harry could see Snape wondering whether his attack had finally broken through their Vallatus…

And then suddenly Harry's memories began to flick in front of his eyes – scenes were being dragged through his mind so fast that he felt dizzy. He felt as if he was losing hold on his broom, let alone on maintaining the Vallatus… he had never been able to muster enough strength to resist Legilimency…

But then he heard something else, something clear above the babbling memories; it was Ginny's voice in his head, and he gradually began to realise that she was calling him, trying to help him.

_Harry. Harry! Control it!_

Harry tried to fight back and to his surprise he found that the memories now passed by more slowly. With Ginny's aid, he was able to steady the charm – together they were battling Snape's mind. Yet despite the fact there were two of them against Snape, they were unable to fully stop Snape's penetration into Harry's head.

_I can't hold it much longer… _Harry confessed to her – though he hated to admit it, Snape was extremely proficient at many spells, and especially this one. He could feel the power of their Vallatus weakening as he became overwhelmed in the storm of memories.

_Remember what to do,_ Ginny's voice fought through the clamour of visions passing through his mind,_ remember was we said-_

Harry nodded, unable to dispel the mishmash of memories filling his mind but determined to give his all in this final attempt to fight back. He took a deep breath and at the same time he and Ginny both shouted out loud –

"PROTEGO!"

Instantly, Harry's mind was filled with a scene – but it was not a memory he recognised. He was looking up through curtains of long, black hair, at a dim sky… Harry realised he was in a memory from Snape's mind – the curse had _backfired_ on him. There was a ball of light shooting towards the goal hoops of the Quidditch Stadium - it was a Vallatus, and the two people flying around in it were a boy with messy hair and glasses, and a girl with long red hair, both smiling and laughing as they flew through the centre goal hoop and arced back round…

The vision shattered. Harry and Ginny suddenly found themselves shaking uncontrollably, their hearts pulsing with a piercing fear that was not their own. The Vallatus broke around them, exploding spectacularly like a glass sphere under too much pressure. Down below, they saw Snape stumble back into a table, gripping his heart, his face pained and confused. As they gasped for breath, too stunned to think or even speak, they watched Snape striving to gather himself up, his chest heaving, and then, without another look at them, he headed straight to the door.

"Goodnight, Headmaster," he said breathlessly, sweeping across the hall and not giving a glance to anybody. Harry saw Dumbledore turn and surprise cloud his face as he realised that Snape was leaving. Dumbledore expressed disappointment and requested that Snape stayed.

"No, I must insist," Snape said adamantly, once again commanding the huge wooden doors open before him, quite clearly determined to quit the hall as quickly as possible.

"You _will_ come to the next session, Severus? We need one teacher for each Vallatus." Dumbledore's words were polite, but Harry could hear another tone underneath, a kind of warning.

Snape halted in the doorway, his long black robes swaying in his wake, his shoulders still rising and falling rapidly with his quick breaths. He seemed to be thinking fast. Then he slowly turned his head slightly to one side and gave Dumbledore a curt nod, as if he was compelled to agree against his will. Harry stared at Snape's back until he wordlessly turned away and hurried into the Entrance Hall, a distinct brisk, edginess in his step.

Only when Snape had disappeared from view did Harry contemplate moving down to land. His mind was reeling from the encounter. Once he had touched the ground he looked to Ginny and he could see she was as profoundly confused as he was. Why was that scene in Snape's mind, when they had not performed Vallati outside yet? Why did it affect Snape so greatly, so much so that he wanted to leave that very instant, and was determined to avoid even looking at them? He hadn't even berated them for what they had done, or docked house points… normally he seized any opportunity to punish Harry.

Harry felt totally disorientated and disconnected from what was going on around him… all he could think about was Snape and that vision. Dumbledore's debrief washed over him without him hearing a single word of it. All he wanted to do was to get under his Cloak and find out answers – both Snape and Malfoy were currently bowls of mystery and he could not fathom either of them out. These Vallatus lessons were turning out to carry a lot more significance than he had previously thought possible, not least because of the way he felt about Ginny when she was so close to him as they made their Vallatus, and the end of the lesson rendered Harry a complete mess, with his mind and emotions wheeling as erratically as if Snape had blasted his head apart at the same time as he had rent apart their Vallatus.

**xXxXx**

**Please review! - I'd really love to know whether you're enjoying the story or if you've got any suggestions for improvements! I haven't been getting reviews for the last few chapters and I don't know why... so please let me know what you think! Thank you!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks so much to everyone who is reading and has put this story on their alerts list – I am guessing that you are enjoying the story which is fantastic! But I would really love it if you could leave a review so that I know how you are actually finding the story and if you have any tips for improvement or where you would like it to go! I'd really value any feedback you could give.**

**Anyway, I hope you like this chapter… I enjoyed writing it very much!**

Chapter 17 – The Mirror of Erised

After all the time he had spent looking forward to learning Vallati, Harry knew he should have felt disappointment when the lesson came to an end and Dumbledore gave them leave to head back to their dormitories. But if Harry was honest, he felt so restless and incapable of concentration that he was really quite relieved that they could go at last.

As the six of them walked into the Entrance Hall, Harry scanned the room, the stairs, the hallway… but there was no sign of Malfoy. Disappointment seeped through him as the chance of finding out some answers flew away from his grasp. His friends on the other hand were pleased about Malfoy's absence.

"Good! The slimy ferret's not here today," Ron said cheerfully, heading up the stairs with some exuberance. Harry felt sure even Malfoy's presence could not have wiped the smile inscribed upon Ron's face; his best friend felt particularly proud at his and Hermione's success that evening since he had never excelled at much before. Hermione also looked relieved that Malfoy had not been stalking them again. Unlike Harry and Ginny, neither of them had experienced the peculiar encounter with Snape and so did not have this also weighing on their minds. At the top of the marble staircase, Harry had made up his mind. He couldn't wait any longer.

"Ginny," he whispered and grabbed her hand. "Can we have a word?"

She nodded and while their friends were talking about the spells they had performed that evening Harry whipped out his Invisibility Cloak and made the two of them vanish from sight without being noticed. He led her down the corridor and she quietly followed.

"That was weird," she said, as soon as Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna had disappeared around the corner. Harry came to a standstill.

"Thank goodness," he sighed. "So it's not just me?"

Ginny fervently shook her head. Harry looked into her eyes, which seemed unusually bright despite the dim lighting of the hallway they were in; only one torch was alight on the very end wall. He was suddenly aware of how inappropriately close they were under the Cloak… he had never felt like this when he had used it with Ron and Hermione.

"I've always wanted to try this out," Ginny said as if reading his mind, reaching out to touch the silky material, enraptured. "What are we going to do now?"

Harry glanced over his shoulder. The door to the first classroom was ajar.

"Let's go in here," he said quietly. "We need to figure out what is going on with Snape. I don't understand…" They pushed open the door and moved inside with barely a rustle. Ginny pushed the door back behind them and they moved a few steps into the empty classroom. Moonlight was streaming down through a window at the far end and casting long shadows behind the pillars that lined one end of the room. Harry leant back against the nearest one and ran a hand tiredly over his eyes, willing himself to see sense out of Snape's vision.

"Why would he be so worried about us seeing that?" Harry wondered aloud softly, filled with frustration that he could not piece the clues together and work out what was going on. For some reason, he was loath to speak at normal volume and remove the Cloak. Ginny too stayed quite still under the Cloak.

"I don't know," she muttered slowly. Then she took a sharp intake of breath. "Do you think it has something to do with Malfoy's plan?"

Harry paused for thought. "Maybe… but he seemed more scared than angry… I think he would have flown into a temper if he had realised we had ruined Malfoy's plan, after all their efforts…"

They pondered this in silence, gazing into each other's eyes as if together they might find the key to the mystery. And then as the moment lengthened, and the brightening moonbeams filled the room with a pale grey light, Harry found that he was searching for something else, an answering call to the naked cry his heart had unleashed as he had cast the Vallatus with Ginny only an hour ago. He yearned for her to not turn away now he had revealed so much, barely daring to hope that the bold exposure of his profound feelings would not repel her; and Harry was so overcome with shock when he found her drawing nearer that his knees felt weak and he thought he might pass out.

His heart fluttered like a caged bird filled with excitement at the prospect of freedom as the heat from her shivering breath filled the narrowing space between them. Harry was overcome by the intoxicating sweet meadowy smell that lingered in her hair and upon her skin, unsure whether to restrain himself or let loose his desire now that the moment had come. Then, unaware of how it happened, Harry found Ginny's lips pressed to his and his heart singing with pleasure. He slid his hand onto the small of her back and gently pulled her closer, kissing her with tenderness that mirrored the long hours he had spent loving her and longing for this one heavenly moment. The soft, perfect moment filled Harry with such joy he could not even begin to translate into coherent thoughts. It was not long, however, before Harry realised something that made him freeze; they were not alone in the room.

Harry hesitantly drew back, listening hard. He could hear noises, as if the whimpers of a wounded animal were being stifled. Was someone there crying? He anxiously met Ginny's round eyes; she could hear it too. Unbidden, his heart let out a pang as he recognised their moment was lost; but a flare of hope reared within him as Ginny slipped her hand into his and nodded. Together they slowly crept around the pillar and looked to see what – or who – was down the far end of the classroom.

There, against the wall where the teacher's desk should have been, was a towering mirror, magnificently grand and ornate. Its glass gleamed brilliant silver in the moonlight and dazzled their eyes, which had been accustomed to the gloom. Harry was forced to squint, but he knew what the mirror was before he had read the inscriptions distorted with shadows across its top.

"The Mirror of Erised," breathed Harry, without even realising. He heard Ginny gasp.

But something else shocked Harry more than rediscovering the Mirror of Erised. Draped over one side of the mirror's face was a person; the jet-blackness of their robes contrasted so vividly with the silver of the glass that it was quite clear that they were shaking. One white-knuckled hand was gripping the thick gold frame; the other was pressed flat to the glass, right next to their bowed head. But Harry didn't need to see the face shrouded behind the curtains of dark, greasy hair to know who this was.

Harry stood, transfixed, watching as Snape's body heaved and the awful sound of sobs being torn out of his chest filled his ears. It was terrible to hear. In spite of Harry's hatred for this man who had continually striven to make his life miserable and had openly been his father's bitter enemy, Harry could not help but be stirred.

Harry tore his gaze away and saw that Ginny was gaping, as stunned and as clueless as he was. His eyes dragged him involuntarily back to the mirror, to which Snape still hauled himself ever closer; Harry could see his hooked nose protruding from under his hair and nearly touching the glass itself. Snape seemed totally oblivious to their presence – Harry was sure he wouldn't express a drop of this emotion if he had any idea that he had company. As it was, Harry felt as if they were intruding on something very private. But he was so intrigued that he couldn't bring himself to turn away. The two of them both watched, astounded, unable to comprehend what they were seeing, utterly fascinated and repulsed at the same time. Snape continued to weep, and as he lifted his chin to gaze longingly at something – or someone, Harry thought – in the Mirror, his hair fell back and Harry saw several tears trickling down his cheeks. Harry grimaced, his insides twisting guiltily. He really felt he should not be seeing this.

He turned to beckon Ginny away when to his alarm she ducked out from under the Invisibility Cloak took take a few steps away from him into the middle of the room, very visible. Harry had to clap his hand over his mouth to stop himself from screaming.

"_Come back!"_ he hissed, panic beating erratically through his blood. Ginny shook her head, seemingly entranced and unafraid of being caught.

Then Harry realised that Ginny had not encountered the Mirror of Erised before, although she had heard Harry mention it… No doubt she was curious to see how it worked, to see what was making Snape grieve so intensely. But – Harry realised with a jolt - she didn't know that you had to stand right in front of the Mirror, and even then she would only see her own desires…

With a gulp Harry tiptoed after Ginny, hoping to cover Ginny with the Cloak again, but she was now drifting away from him and nearer to the Mirror – and _Snape_. It was a suicide task – Snape would surely catch sight of her before she would get anywhere near the Mirror and she would never see what Snape was seeing. But even though he knew he must stop Ginny, and even though he was invisible concealed under his Cloak, Harry was petrified of going anywhere near Snape crying so tragically. Harry halted and scarcely dared to even breathe. He slowly began to stretch out his arm to pull Ginny back.

But all of a sudden those pitiful sobs that had been filling the cold room came to an abrupt halt. With horror Harry snapped his eyes back to the Mirror, his hand frozen in mid-air, and saw that Snape was very suddenly rigid. Harry's heart was pounding in his ribcage as he watched Snape slowly draw himself back from the Mirror and gaze at the reflection. His eyes were fixed on the faint image of Ginny reflected there, her long red hair framing her heart-shaped face and the red-and-gold Gryffindor emblem marking her black Hogwarts' robes distinctively. Harry felt strangled by his own fear; Ginny too was motionless, locked in Snape's penetrating gaze. It was only a matter of time before he spun round and caught her in the act…

But Snape simply stared at her reflection in the Mirror. Soon his eyebrows knitted together and his black eyes, incomprehensible to their very depths, were swimming with tears and shining like bottomless pools in the lonely moonlight. His lips parted and formed silent words directed to his vision in the Mirror. Harry was perplexed, until it occurred to him that Snape believed Ginny was a vision in the Mirror, not who she really was. He took advantage of this and stole towards her, in an instant covering her in his Invisibility Cloak. They heard breath catch in Snape's throat. He stared at where Ginny's reflection had been, and then suddenly twitched round.

Harry held Ginny tightly to him, begging the Cloak to conceal them… he had always felt uneasy where Snape was concerned – Snape seemed to have a frustratingly uncanny knack for sniffing him out. Snape looked right into them, but there was no fury on his face, only… _disappointment. _And a searching look, as if vainly grappling to hold on to what he had glimpsed behind him in the Mirror.

Harry very slowly let out sigh of relief, wearied from the stress of nearly being caught. He felt quite certain that they had intruded enough and looked to Ginny to signal that they should retreat. She nodded solemnly and they started to creep back towards the door, still undetected by Snape.

They had just reached the last pillar when Harry heard a choking sound. He really didn't want to look back, but for some reason Ginny kept tugging on his arm.

"_Harry!"_ she cried, and he whipped round. Ginny winced apologetically, realising that she had spoken louder than she had meant to. There was nothing for it now – he must have heard; Harry looked past her. He saw that Snape had fallen back against the frame of the Mirror and was groping in vain at the unrelenting glass. But Harry could almost hear the cogs turning in Snape's brain as he processed Ginny's cry. Instead of turning around as Harry had expected, he edged back to stand in front of the mirror face-on. Harry and Ginny watched as Snape gazed momentarily at his heart's desire. Then he turned his head to one side and weakly closed his eyes. He gently rested his greasy haired temples against the mirror, his body trembling. And then they heard the tiniest whisper, the weakest echo of Ginny's,

"_Harry_…"

A lone tear was trickling down Snape's cheek.

**xXxXx**

"You saw WHAT?" bellowed Ron at breakfast the next morning.

"Shhh!" Harry hissed, anxiously checking around him to see whether anyone had heard. His eyes strayed to the head table… one place was empty. Harry sighed in relief and wearily turned back.

"Tell me again?" Ron said, staring at Harry as if he thought he was mad. Harry buried his head in his hands, but at that moment Hermione and Ginny appeared in the Great Hall to join them for breakfast and Harry waited for them to sit down before summoning up the strength to explain what he had seen all over again.

"Ginny and I saw something odd last night after we left you," Harry said quietly, speaking more to Hermione than Ron.

"Malfoy?" she asked quizzically but Ginny shook her head. Harry glanced at her before answering. He leaned forward so that he could whisper and no one would overhear.

"We saw Snape… and he was _crying_." It was strange, but he felt very reticent in admitting this fact, even though he knew it was true and that Snape was not in the room to overhear. The horribleness of the scene from the night before had still not quite left him.

At this news Hermione shrank back, her eyes round in astonishment and her brows knitted in confusion. Meanwhile Ron was dismissing Harry's claim once more.

"No," he was saying. "It can't be. It's impossible. It's just… not him. It's not him at all. I think you saw someone else."

"It was _definitely_ him, Ron," Ginny said sternly. "We were both there hidden under Harry's Cloak and we both saw it."

"What were you doing with Harry under his Cloak?" Ron suddenly demanded, looking stony. Harry hurriedly looked away and buttered his toast.

"Nothing," Ginny replied coolly, unphased by Ron's unusually perceptive nosiness. "Harry just wanted to talk about something from the Vallatus class, but as soon as we left you we wandered in on Snape, crying all over the Mirror of Erised." She ended with a look of repulsion on her face.

"The Mirror of…?" Ron gasped. "You found it again?" His voice had a tint of hopefulness in it.

Harry nodded. "I recognised it. Anyway, the inscriptions were the same. But you know how it works, Ron, we couldn't see what Snape saw in it."

"But…" Ron struggled vainly to come up with some plausible explanation. "But what would he get so bothered about? He's not the type of guy to care about anything much…" A light of comprehension dawned on his face. "Maybe someone had stolen his Potions set! Or his cauldron! Maybe he got all upset and offended over that, and was gazing at himself in the Mirror with his Potions stuff becoming the best Potions master in the world and feeling all sorry for himself because that could no longer be true!"

"Oh _Ron_," Hermione said scathingly, breaking out of her pensive silence. "Don't be so stupid. It would have to be something far more significant than that. People have broken into his store cupboards before-" she met Harry's eyes, "-and all he got was annoyed and he took out his vehemence on Harry. He could easily get another Potions kit and a cauldron."

"Well how do you explain it then?" Ron demanded sulkily, grabbing more bacon and toast.

"I don't know," Hermione said slowly, stirring her cereal with her spoon and not eating any of it. "But this could mean something important…"

"Harry and I saw something else," Ginny said, giving Hermione and Ron a knowing look. "You know, when Snape put the Legilimens charm on us."

Harry nodded. "We managed to make it backfire on him and we saw a vision from his mind – it was of him looking up at a Vallatus above the Quidditch pitch at sunset…" He broke off and frowned. The next bit was odd. Ginny squeezed his hand encouragingly – although she quickly twitched her fingers away when Ron threw her a suspicious look.

Harry twisted in his seat restlessly. "The people making the Vallatus… well, they looked a bit like me and Ginny."

Ron's jaw dropped open. "I'm sorry?" Hermione said, shaking her head slowly.

"It's true," Ginny confirmed. "Although it was from a distance. But the boy definitely looked like Harry, and the girl had long red hair like me."

Harry sighed and massaged his temples, staring unseeingly at his toast. It still made no sense. None of the pieces seemed to make sense, on their own or together.

"But doesn't Legilimens penetrate your memory?" he heard Hermione say. "How could Snape have a memory of something that hasn't happened?"

Her words triggered something that sent cogs whirling in Harry's head. "Maybe it's not a memory of something has already happened," he said, thinking aloud. "Maybe it's a memory of something he has been thinking about… maybe it's-"

"Not Malfoy's plan?" Ron finished for him, incredulously. They all fell into a hushed silence and stared at each other, wondering. The chatter of the other students around them buzzed in their ears.

"Maybe," said Harry quietly. "What do you think, Hermione? You're the one who's good at working these things out."

"Perhaps," she replied. "I suppose it could be that he was bothered about you seeing their plan. If it is really important, and he thinks you will be able to work out what it is now, maybe he could get really upset about it. But that would mean that he really cares about Malfoy's success, and that would mean he's not on our side, and he has deceived Dumbledore…" she trailed off, frowning furiously. "I'm sure that's not the case."

"I think it could be that," Ron said. "Harry did overhear Snape saying he'd made the Unbreakable Vow, so he could really care about Malfoy… as strange as it is to think that Snape has one drop of good emotion in him and would have the luck to care about someone as stuck-up as Malfoy."

Harry nodded in agreement. "But he was definitely crying, which means he must care a lot about something. Maybe it is the success in Malfoy's mission…" He didn't dare say it in front of Hermione, who always rebuked Harry for doubting Snape's loyalty, but he was recalling the lovingness with which Snape always spoke the Dark Lord's name, as if it was something to be revered and treasured. Perhaps Snape thought that Harry had finally caught him out. He turned to Ginny to see what she thought.

"What would us in a Vallatus have to do with Malfoy's plan though?" she asked. "He's not learning how to make one himself, so how would getting us to make a Vallatus help him?"

Harry shrugged and gazed into her eyes sadly. "But you know how he's been recently," he reminded her softly, "you told me he'd been acting oddly around you… and he was eavesdropping on our first lesson…" Ginny looked uncomfortable, clearly expecting the others to think she was silly for believing Malfoy was stalking her. But Hermione sat bolt upright as if Harry had called her to attention.

"And he was in the Quidditch stands when you were all practising on Sunday," she said, turning to Harry looking horrified. "He must know that you're hanging around with us more, Ginny, otherwise he wouldn't make a scheme involving you."

"Ginny, go away. Stop hanging around with us," Ron said immediately. Ginny scowled and narrowed her eyes.

"No," she said obstinately. "I'm not scared anyway, even if he is planning something to do with me and Harry. He's all appearance and no guts. He won't get anywhere with us, I'm sure." She sounded confident but her eyes slid to Harry for reassurance. He could feel her burning stare, but Harry needed to take a moment to gather up the strength to admit a problem that had occurred to him.

"But it's not just Malfoy… it's Snape… If he's sworn to help Malfoy… Well, you know what Snape's like. He's different…"

Harry fell into an uneasy silence. When he looked up, three worried faces were staring back at him.

**xXxXx**

**Please review :)**


	18. Chapter 18

******I am very sorry for the long delay in updating! I have exams coming up so I've had to put studying first for the last few weeks. But as it's now the Easter holidays I hope to update again soon! Enjoy the chapter and please don't forget to leave a little comment at the end.**

Chapter 18 – Eavesdropping on Snape

After dinner on Friday they had an hour or so before their third Vallatus lesson. Harry, Ron and Ginny were very excited – Dumbledore had sent them all notes informing them that this time the lesson would take place outside, on the Quidditch pitch, which surely could only mean one thing: more flying! Hermione seemed less keen at this idea but showed her enthusiasm for Vallati in her own personal way, by reading a book that she had managed to find in the library which mentioned this unusual branch of defensive magic.

Excitement was tangible in the air and not just in their small group by the fire; not only was it the weekend, but tomorrow was the day of Dumbledore's Masked Ball. There was no other topic of conversation going on around them.

"Honestly, it's getting a bit annoying now," Ron muttered to Harry, who was sitting next to him on the sofa. They were both studying the Marauder's Map, searching for Malfoy. Harry had been thinking all day about Malfoy and Snape, trying to fathom out what in the name of Merlin was going on behind their bizarre facades. He had worked out neither why Snape was crying nor why Malfoy was stalking Ginny around the castle, but he had remembered one thing: Professor Trelawney's prophecy. Dumbledore had explained that she had spoken of the coming Saturday… in other words, tomorrow. Harry hadn't mentioned this to anyone else, but it did trigger his heart into beating rather more frantically than usually. This recollection had also driven him to realise something else; the prophecy had mentioned the Dark Lord's newest servant… and surely that was Malfoy. It didn't take much to put two and two together… Malfoy would set his plan in motion tomorrow.

So it was for this reason that Harry and Ron were searching for Malfoy on the Marauders' Map. As Hermione had admitted it might be possible that Snape was involved in Malfoy's plan, it seemed probable that (if this was indeed the case) Snape would want to talk things over with Malfoy the night before… and this would be a prime opportunity for Harry to air his Invisibility Cloak and listen in with the desperate hope of finding out some information that would enable them to be better prepared for the next day.

Ron had just pointed to Malfoy's dot in the Slytherin common room, accompanied by Crabbe and Goyle, when Ginny interrupted them.

"Hey Harry, Hedwig's at the window."

Harry looked up eagerly and on spotting his snowy owl, hurried over to let her in. She was carrying a small brown paper package, which he untied, guessing that it was his moonmisticle dust from Fred and George. "Thanks Hedwig," he murmured, giving her a stroke before she took flight back out of the window – he was very relieved that he would be able to make his mask in time for the Ball. He began to unwrap the box on a table by the window and a smaller, thin package fell out. Harry read the label. "Ginny? This is for you!"

Ginny looked up from her homework and her face brightened. "Really?" She dashed over and scooped up the parcel. A mischievous smile crept over her lips.

"What is it?" Harry asked. "Why have Fred and George sent you something with my order?"

"Oh, well…" Ginny blushed and turned to check that Ron and Hermione wouldn't hear. "It's a present for you, actually," she whispered, drawing her eyes up to Harry's.

"Yeah?" Harry grinned. "I hope it's not something your mum would disapprove of too badly."

If it was possible Ginny went even redder and she swept her hair back from her face. "Oh no, it's not! Actually…" she became rather pensive. "I'm not sure… she hates Bill's earring… maybe she would…" She twisted the wrapped package between her fingers, creasing the paper.

"Don't worry," Harry said quickly, not wanting Ginny to be disheartened. "I expect Fred and George know when to keep a secret for their sister." He gave her a knowing look and Ginny laughed.

"So, may I open it?"

Ginny nodded keenly and passed him the package. "Be careful, though." Overwhelmed with curiosity, Harry ripped apart the brown paper. There, nestled inside was…

"Oh my god."

Harry looked up to Ginny, who was looking anxious. "You don't like it?" she said timidly. Harry's jaw dropped open.

"Not like it?" he said incredulously. "It's brilliant!"

He tipped into his hand a thin piece of shiny card, upon which the perfect imprint of a dragon was currently sneezing out two massive flames. As Harry reached out a finger to tentatively stroke the Hungarian Horntail, it looked up, its yellow eyes glinting, then it stretched its black wings wide and thrashed its spiked tail menacingly. Harry laughed.

"I heard Ron say you'd mentioned that you might like a magical tattoo, and I thought Fred and George's looked really good so I thought…"

"It's wicked, thank you, Gin!" Before Harry knew what he was doing, he had flung his arms around a slightly startled Ginny and was breathing in her heady flowery scent. He slowly let her go.

"Wow, I didn't think you would like it that much, Harry!" Ginny grinned.

"What made you pick a Hungarian Horntail?" he asked interestedly.

An impish smile crept over Ginny's face. "Well, I was debating between the Hippogriff and the Hungarian Horntail, because I know how much you like Buckbeak… but as you defeated the Hungarian Horntail in the Triwizard Tournament I thought there was no harm in having this one… after all, it is much more macho." Harry couldn't resist a brief smirk.

"This is so cool, where would you like me to put it?" Harry asked, enraptured by the magically animated dragon. Ginny looked away shyly.

"Just somewhere I'll be able to see it, once in a while," she said quietly, clearly too embarrassed by imagining it on Harry's bottom like Ron's was.

"Okay, how about… my chest?" Harry proposed. "That is, if I _can_ choose where to put it. Ron had no choice…"

"Oh, don't worry," Ginny said dismissively. "Look on the back. Fred and George should have given you the spell that allows you to move it around. There's one for all of their magical tattoos – but don't tell Ron that. I think they gave Ron's an additional charm so it would only fix in one place aside from his forehead just to wind him up. But yes…" she trailed off, looking at Harry's robes with glazed eyes, "chest would be good…" Harry smiled and pressed a kiss to Ginny's forehead.

"Harry, what's going on?" Hermione called from over by the fire. Harry unwillingly unglued himself from Ginny. "What did Hedwig bring you?"

Harry grabbed his parcel from the table and headed over the join Ron and Hermione at the hearth, eager to show them the charmed Hungarian Horntail tattoo. "It's my moonmisticle dust from Fred and George," Harry said holding out the glittering bottle. "I can make my mask now!"

"But what's that?" Hermione said, pointing at Harry's carefully cupped hand. Harry pinched the tattoo between his fingers and held it out for Ron and Hermione to see, grinning.

Ron gave a yell and scrambled backwards, toppling over the back of the sofa and landing with a thump out of sight… clearly he was still very sensitive about the subject of Fred and George's tattoos. Hermione, meanwhile, was stunned.

"This really is an amazing piece of magic," she murmured, studying the dragon. "But are you actually going to wear it?"

"Of course he is," Ginny said indignantly, crossing her arms. "Anyway, Harry can't be without one now Ron has one. I'll bet they'll be all the rage soon."

"Great, I can sell mine," Ron muttered sourly, climbing back onto the sofa and eying Harry's tattoo warily.

"If you find out how to remove it," Ginny corrected him, a sly look on her face. Ron scowled and his eyes slid to the dragon tattoo, which was currently breathing out a torrent of fire that encircled the rim of the card.

"Why couldn't _I _have a dragon?" he said sullenly, "they're so much better than a girly _pygmy puff_." Harry met Ginny and Hermione's eyes and they all fought the silent giggles, striving not to hurt Ron's feelings any further.

However the tattoo was already attracting a lot more attention than just Ron. Parvati and Lavender came round the side of Hermione's chair, looking excitedly at the dragon in her hands. "Wow, is that a magical tattoo?" Parvati gasped. Lavender's shriek of delight instantly drew over more girls from the rest of the common room. Ron recoiled into his corner of the armchair morosely, muttering something about how he wished his tattoo was more popular. Everyone was looking at either Harry or his dragon tattoo.

"Let's see Harry, put it on!" Voices were clamouring all around him now, and not just girls. It seemed that indeed Fred and George's latest creation would be all the rage. Harry felt incredibly self-conscious revealing his chest in front of the Gryffindor common room but he did not have much choice in the matter as Ginny's gentle fingers toyed with his robes and traced over his skin, pulling off his shirt. Hermione handed back the magical tattoo, all eyes following the Hungarian Horntail enviously. The dragon seemed to realise this too, since it reared on its hind legs as Harry held it up to his chest and flamboyantly spread its wings as wide as it could reach.

"Go on, Ginny, you put it on," Harry told her softly.

Ginny beamed, clearly proud that her idea had caused so much excitement for the entirety of Gryffindor house. Amidst all of the craning heads, Harry noticed Hermione smirking as Ginny peeled off the thin black dragon and carefully pressed it to Harry's chest. Goosebumps erupted from where she touched his skin. Cheers and laughter broke out all around as Harry's Hungarian Horntail settled down onto his chest and began breathing rather copious amounts of flame, eying all the onlookers suspiciously. He couldn't help laughing fondly himself. It was the best thing he ever did to give Fred and George his Triwizard winnings.

"Err, Harry?"

At Ron's voice Harry looked round, sheepishly pulling his shirt and jumper back on. Ron looked back at the map he was shielding from sight in his lap and his eyes narrowed. Harry walked over and Ginny began shooing everyone away.

"It's just, Malfoy's just gone into Snape's office. Do you think they might be talking about Malfoy's plan?"

At once Harry's eyes shot to the archway at the foot of the stairs that led up to his dormitory, where his Invisibility Cloak was stowed in his trunk.

"_No_, Harry," Hermione said warningly. "You should not make a habit of eavesdropping on people, especially a teacher. It's not right."

"But he did get some juicy news last time he spied on Snape," Ron reminded Hermione.

Ginny agreed. "That's right, we know that something is definitely up with Snape; this could be our one chance of finding out what exactly it is." Harry nodded fervently.

Hermione's determination wilted; she could see she was outnumbered. "Alright," she relented. "But _please_ don't get caught, it's been nightmarish enough for you with Snape at the Vallatus classes."

She had barely finished speaking before Harry tore over to the spiral staircase and scrambled up the stairs, pushing open the door to their dormitory with such force that it flew open with a bang. He tore over to his trunk with such speed that he barely noticed how he had startled Dean and Seamus, who were there playing Wizard Snap, until Seamus accidentally knocked the tower and it all went up in a puff of smoke with a loud POP.

"You alright?" Dean asked as Harry stuffed his Invisibility Cloak under his elbow so the other two wouldn't see what it was and scrambled back over to the door.

"Yeah, gotta run!" he yelled over his shoulder, concentrating on making his feet move as fast as possible down the tightly winding stairs. He dropped into the common room and pelted over to the Fat Lady, causing his friends' heads to turn.

"They're still there, Harry!" Ron called out, just before Harry jumped out of the portrait hole and began his sprint down several floors of the castle. His footsteps echoed in the mostly empty corridors and his ears were filled with the cacophony of his heavy breathing – but he refused to let his years of being chased by Dudley go to waste; he could not bear it if he arrived there and found that he had missed the entire exchange just because he had been too lazy to move faster. Only when he reached the steps down to the dungeons, where the air became cooler and the gloom crept out more bravely from the corners, did he slow down and pull his Cloak over so that he would not be seen or heard upon his approach.

Harry reached the door to Snape's office; his heart was hammering in his ears but all else seemed quiet. The door looked closed and for a moment Harry wondered what he could do to gain entry unnoticed, but as he stood there inches away, straining to hear the voices he hoped would still be there within, he realised that the door was slightly ajar. Excellent… he could pretend to be merely a harmless draught.

Not wasting any second longer Harry daringly gave the door a little shove and it swung inwards, creaking noticeably on its hinges. As soon as he could Harry nipped inside and took in the scene – Malfoy, with his slick blonde hair glowing green in the peculiar light from Snape's curious array of jars, was standing in front of Snape's desk, his arms crossed and his expression haughty, while behind the desk Snape had his back to Malfoy, his expression for the moment unknown – yet there was something tense in the way he held himself that told Harry he had not interrupted a relaxed conversation. Malfoy was the first to spin round; he seemed somewhat twitchy and on edge.

"I thought this conversation was meant to be private!" Malfoy snapped. For talking to a teacher, that sounded rather rude to Harry, who was all the while creeping softly over to the corner behind the door. He wasn't concerned by Malfoy, who seemed too ablaze to notice any fine details; it was Snape who niggled on his nerves.

Snape turned round, his black eyes unreadable in the poor lighting of his office, and he stared at the door which had finally stopped its eerie wailing. Seeing that Snape was not going to do anything about the door, Malfoy irritably went over, stuck his head out into the corridor, and then withdrew, slamming the door shut hard for good measure.

"I imagine you should have closed the door properly the first time if you wanted to ensure our privacy," Snape said silkily. At this Malfoy looked maddened.

"You're lucky nobody was out there, because if anyone heard, it would be on your head," he retorted, crossing his arms aggressively. Snape seemed unperturbed but his eyes began to drift about the room, making Harry feel very uncomfortable. He edged backwards, hoping he might melt into the walls, until he realised some of the distasteful objects that were floating in the jars on the shelves around him, and he instinctively twitched away.

"Indeed." Unnervingly, Snape's line of sight had settled on Harry's corner and he could see that Snape was grasping the handle of his wand within his robes. Harry knew how Snape's mind easily leapt to conclusions and reckoned that Snape had already surmised that he was hiding somewhere in the room, hidden under his father's Cloak. But thankfully Malfoy seemed on the brink of breaking into a tantrum and this drew away Snape's attention, allowing Harry to exhale in relief.

"You won't get away with this!" Malfoy exclaimed. "I know what you're up to. You want to know what I'm going to do so that you can steal my idea and take my reward from the Dark Lord!"

There was a distinctly bored look on Snape's face, as if he had been forced to witness many such melodramatic outbursts from youths in the past.

"Draco…"

"You have no authority over me, Snape!" The blonde boy stared up determinedly at Snape, whose eyes narrowed.

"Draco, I am your Head of House, and as your teacher you have an obligation to at the very least listen to what advice I would offer you," he said succinctly.

"Perhaps in petty school things, but you have no authority over me in _this_ matter," Draco answered. "Only the Dark Lord may tell me what to do."

"May I remind you that the Dark Lord himself illuminated me on the task he has entrusted you with…? And that your mother, who you most certainly should listen to, has asked me to look over you? I _swore_ to assist you, Draco. I made the Unbreakable Vow!"

"That is your problem, not mine," Draco said, casually flicking his hand away.

"It will fall to me to execute your task should you fail," Snape said, his eyes levelled on Malfoy who stilled at these words. "Surely it would be better to let me assist you so that you succeed, rather than to make me stand by and watch you suffer failure before I carry out what you could not?"

"I will not fail," Malfoy said coldly.

Snape sighed and tilted his head to the side, brushing his lank hair out of his eyes. "Just accept my help – _guidance_, that is all. Your previous two attempts have been somewhat… feeble. What makes you think that this time will be different?"

Malfoy's eyes lit up in the gloom of the office. "Because of the girl!"

This was enlightenment both to Harry and to Snape, whose eyebrows ascended a few millimetres. Malfoy looked horrified at what he had said. "You tricked me!" he said in dismay. "You made me tell!" Harry thought Malfoy's behaviour was laughable, but he wished they would talk more on the subject rather than just argue. He wondered deeply who the girl that Malfoy had mentioned was, and it was very interesting to discover that Snape didn't know much of Malfoy's plan either.

Snape ignored Malfoy's puerile retaliation. "Why should she have anything to do with this?" he asked. "Your task does not concern Potter."

Harry frowned. So he wasn't the target of the brunt of Malfoy's scheming, even though he was the subject of the prophecy? Who then was? He looked between Snape and Malfoy, straining his ears for any sign of an explanation, but judging by the significant look Malfoy was giving Snape he didn't need to voice his answer in words.

"_Ahh_. I see. You are hoping the Dark Lord will accept Potter in exchange."

"Perhaps," Malfoy said airily, examining his fingernails. "Or perhaps he will receive both."

"And how may I ask do you plan on delivering all three on the Dark Lord's dinner plate without my aid?"

"I will not be unaided," Malfoy replied, lifting his nose a little higher as he spoke.

"And you are planning on getting help here? I thought your tinkering was not yet complete."

Malfoy appeared disgruntled at Snape's attempt to burst his esteem. "It isn't, but it doesn't need to be. I will take them to where help is waiting."

"You are sure you can manage to do that?"

Malfoy flared up again. "Stop doubting me! Stop trying to make me doubt myself! I will not accept your help and I will not be provoked into telling you any more. I have made my plan very carefully and from many observations. This time it won't go wrong. You'll see… if you come and watch."

"When may I have the pleasure of watching this marvellous chase?"

"Saturday… tomorrow… during the Ball," Malfoy answered. "You may come with me," he ordered loftily, "but I will not tell you my plan, so you can't take over and steal my glory. This is _my_ moment, not yours."

Snape chose to disregard this last comment but something else did seem to be bothering him. "What do you plan on doing with the girl? Must she be part of your plans?"

"Why, are you taking pity all of a sudden?" Malfoy taunted. This passed straight over Snape's head, but Malfoy did have a point, Harry thought. It was very strange for Snape to be concerned for this girl.

Snape had turned away and was beginning to peruse the shelves on his back wall. "You know what they have been learning," he said pointedly to Draco. "It could be dangerous, you should not underestimate it."

"What do you mean?" Harry saw Malfoy's mouth fall open. "…Is this from past experience?" he crowed gleefully.

Snape turned away from a pickled eel and looked over his shoulder. "You would be foolish to overlook it, Draco. Dumbledore is no fool."

Malfoy snorted derisively causing Snape to sigh. "Is there no way of leaving her out of this precarious plan of yours?"

"No there is not! You are not meddling with my plan! You're such a sneak, lazing around and then trying to steal my work after all the effort I've put into it! You're too cowardly to do something of your own!"

Harry could tell that Malfoy had crossed the line. Snape slowly turned round, pulling back his long sleeves to his elbows, his eyes glinting dangerously. Before he could open his lips, though, Malfoy gave another snort and marched to the door.

"Leave me alone!"

He wrenched open Snape's door with far more force than was necessary, readied to make a dramatic departure… only to find himself face to face with Dumbledore himself, pleasantly smiling and with his knuckles raised as if preparing to knock. Harry was just as surprised as Malfoy, whose face was clouded by shock followed by fear and then anger. Throwing one last look of sheer hatred back at Snape he strode past Dumbledore as if he was part of the doorframe.

The Headmaster watched Draco go and then sighed regretfully. He walked into the study with a rustle of his long robes and softly closed the door behind him, locking it with a flick of his wand. So it was that Harry found himself forced to listen in on another conversation.

"What is it like for you to be out of favour with your favourite student?" Dumbledore asked conversationally.

Snape rolled his eyes to the ceiling, irked. "I do not have favourites."

"Hmm." Dumbledore looked at Snape knowingly. "You do give Harry some 'special' treatment in your classes, though, Severus."

"I will do as I see fit in my classes, Dumbledore."

"Of course. Now I am sure that you will see fit to come to the next Vallatus class again tonight? I would not want your emotions to cloud your better judgement."

Snape looked both shocked and wounded by this rather unexpected provocation involving his emotions. Harry did not know what sensitive subject these emotions stemmed from, but he could fairly surely guess that Dumbledore was referring to Snape's rather unorthodox exit from the class the night before. "I don't want to do it anymore." Snape said finally, his voice very soft. He lowered his gaze and began sorting through some papers on his desk.

"Severus?"

"I do not want to do this. You know what I see…" He ceased his attempt to appear preoccupied, staring seemingly unseeing at what was before him. His voice had sunk to no more than a hoarse whisper; Harry had to struggle to hear his words. "…Every time it makes me think of her."

"I thought you wanted to help Harry, because of that?" Dumbledore pressed.

"_Have you no idea how it feels? Have you no compassion?_" Snape roared, slamming down the pile of scripts and facing Dumbledore with burning eyes. Dumbledore merely looked him calmly in the face, and for a minute they faced each other, silently tousling against each other's wills. Eventually Snape collapsed into his chair, his face in his hands.

"Would I have given you access to the Mirror of Erised had I possessed no compassion?" Dumbledore asked quietly. Snape gave no answer.

For a while Dumbledore watched him, and then Harry heard him sigh sadly. "Does it help?" Dumbledore asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Snape's stiff reply diffused muddled through his hands. "It's none of your business." Then he added, "You could have put it in a room down here. Someone is bound to see me soon, traipsing all the way upstairs, even though I go at night, as you wish."

"I am not sure if that would be wise. In fact, I am beginning to wonder if it was wise of me to give you any access to it at all. You are visiting it nearly every night. This could rapidly get out of control. You should know the dangers of living in your dreams, Severus," Dumbledore said warningly.

"I am no imbecile!" Snape snapped. He raised his head; Harry could see that his eyes were a little red. "Are you spying on me now?" he growled venomously. "I thought those moments were _private_."

Dumbledore held up his hand in appeasement. "No, no," he said gently, as if soothing a wild horse. "No, I only set a charm on the door, so I knew when it was opened… if there were other visitors aside from you. The Mirror is very dangerous; I cannot risk a student succumbing to its power. They are not aware of its dangers, unlike you, Severus." Dumbledore smiled kindly and gave Snape a nod. But Snape scowled.

Dumbledore took out his pocket-watch. "Ah. Well I must be off Severus. I will see you in twenty minutes, down on the Quidditch pitch." He made to leave.

Snape stared at him incredulously. "I did not say I would come, Dumbledore!" he reminded him forcefully.

In the doorway Dumbledore's shoulders sagged, as a parent wearies of telling their child off for the same problem again and again. "Remember your promise, Severus," he said. "You know the one. And you know why, better even than I."

Harry turned to look at Snape; he was motionless, his eyes as black as ever, but it was clear that deep within some strange memory was whirling into replay. All else seemed forgotten; Harry even managed to sneak out of Snape's office after Dumbledore without Snape remembering his suspicions about Harry's presence. Harry was astounded at Snape's uncharacteristic lapse in concentration; and as he scurried back up the castle, wondering how he could possibly explain all of what he had heard to the others before their Vallatus lesson, he found his mind reeling as much as Snape's most unquestionably was.

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	19. Chapter 19

**Here's the next chapter… it's longer than usual, I hope that's okay! I didn't know where I could break it up!**

Chapter 19 – The Assault of the Potions Master

"It's – tomorrow –" Harry panted as he staggered into the Gryffindor Common Room, clutching the stitch in his side. The lack of air from pelting all the way up here from the dungeons had made his thoughts cartwheel on top of each other and this was all he could manage.

His entrance made Hermione jump up from where she had been sitting uneasily on the edge of a chair next to Ron, Ginny and Neville, who were all well wrapped up in their winter cloaks and red and gold Gryffindor scarves, ready to brave the chilly night outside. "Oh thank goodness, you're back! We thought you might be late!" she shrieked. Then she looked at him critically, noting that he had been running. "You weren't caught, were you?"

Harry shook his head obediently, too busy catching back his breath to leave any more air for repeating what he had announced. He let Ron hand him his broom and a cloak and clambered out of the portrait hole after the others.

"What did you say as you came in, Harry?" Ginny asked as they made their way down to the Entrance Hall and were joined by Luna.

Harry frowned, pondering. A horrible niggling feeling was reminding him that he still had not spoken to the others about the prophecy Dumbledore had told him several days ago. It was so fundamental to everything that was going on that he could hardly evade the subject for much longer, but he knew the fear it would strike in their hearts and he hated doing that to his friends.

"Are you alright? What did you find out?" Ginny sounded concerned and Harry realised that his expression had sobered. He sighed. He accepted that he could not keep it from them any longer.

"I know when Malfoy's going to carry out his plan," he admitted and took a breath. "It's tomorrow evening, during the Ball."

Harry turned round, realising that everyone else had stopped in their tracks. Five faces gaped back at him.

"Crikey, that's soon," muttered Ron.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded, a lump growing uncomfortably in his throat. "It all fits. Look– there's… there's something I should have told you before."

**xXxXx**

Apart from Neville slipping down half a flight of stairs, they all took the news that they would be subject to You-Know-Who's presence this time the next day fairly well, Harry thought. Only the blazing look Ginny gave him gave him reason to worry. He saw immediately from the change in her expression that she was delighted that she would be given the chance to be with him when he faced danger, after nearly always being pushed to the side by Ron and Hermione. He could tell from the vibrancy of her eyes that she was delighted at this and that her delight was not in foolishness, but in firm bravery and trust in their newfound powers, but it could not dispel the unsettled feeling flitting about in the pit of his stomach. It meant a lot to know that those he loved would stand by him in the face of the Dark Lord… but he would always willingly put himself in front of them, and above all Ginny, to save them just as his mother had saved him. For nothing meant more to him than saving those he loved from the forces that sought to steal them away in the name of overturning all that was right and fair and free in the world. It seemed odd, now he thought about it, that Malfoy (however much he disliked the self-righteous little worm) was willing to get so involved with the Dark Lord's dark deeds when he was still only seventeen… but then the answer occurred to him that maybe Malfoy was doing it in some way for his family, and Harry realised that now he could not blame Malfoy so unequivocally. Perhaps he, Harry, was not the real victim of this plan, but Malfoy himself…

Now that his friends had accepted what was coming, they were eager on learning the details that Harry had overheard in Snape's office.

"It's okay," Hermione was saying, hands splayed out in front of her, trying to calm herself down more than anyone else before she worked herself into a panic. "It's okay, we still have all of tomorrow, we still have time to plan everything in the morning…"

Harry met Ron's eyes and they smiled. Hermione loved her plans. How many of them actually worked was another matter altogether…

"Did you hear Malfoy going over his plan with Snape?" Ginny asked, breaking his train of thought.

Harry wrinkled his nose. "Sort of…" he conceded. "Snape knew that Malfoy was planning something, but Malfoy was refusing to tell him the details."

"What – so Snape doesn't know Malfoy's plan?" Hermione cocked her head to the side pensively, broken out of her mild state of hysteria.

"I think so," Harry agreed. "But that's good… isn't it? Snape can't be helping him much."

Hermione frowned. "Well, if that's the case, it means that the Legilimens vision you and Ginny saw in Snape's head wasn't part of Malfoy's plan, and as tonight's our first lesson outside, it can't be a memory either."

"It doesn't matter," Ron said offhandedly, "what matters is that it's just Malfoy, so it can't be that bad."

"But that's just it," Harry said, "Malfoy was insisting that his plan was going to succeed because of a girl. It sounded like this girl was helping him to get to me."

"Are you sure?" Hermione gave Harry a critical look. "I know he's friends with Pansy Parkinson, but do you really think she'd be much use? She's so selfish that I doubt she'd go out of her way to help anyone – even Malfoy or You-Know-Who."

"I'm just saying what I heard," Harry said flatly. "I don't know who he means, but Snape wasn't very happy. He kept trying to dissuade Malfoy from using her."

"Maybe it _is _Pansy Parkinson, that would explain it," Ron said.

Harry was only somewhat convinced. "I'd never fall for that cow," he said dismissively and Ginny laughed. It reminded him of something.

"Malfoy was so twitchy and on edge tonight, it made me remember when he was a ferret… It would have been quite funny had the whole matter not been so… well…"

"Sinister?" Hermione finished as they walked down the marble staircase. Harry nodded grimly.

"Speaking of ferrets…" Ron jerked his head and Harry looked down to the Entrance Hall. Malfoy was loitering by the front doors, looking highly pleased with himself.

"Oh clear off, Malfoy," Ron said, making to stride past him.

"Not so fast," Malfoy said maliciously and cut him off. His eyes flicked over their shoulders and they all spun round to see Filch stepping out of the doorway down to the dungeons.

"Well, well, well, we _are _in trouble, aren't we?" he sang joyfully, hobbling forward as Mrs Norris mewed incessantly around his legs. "Out of your common rooms at this hour? What pitiful excuses have you got this time?"

It was really very clever of Malfoy, Harry had to admit as he let out a groan and turned to Hermione for inspiration. Dumbledore had wanted their Vallatus lessons to be kept private, so it was likely that aside from the teachers who were in the Order, nobody else knew, including Filch.

"They're going to an illegal duelling club," Malfoy declared before anyone else's mutterings had materialised into any explanation of substance. At this news Filch's face lit up. Clearly his tip-off from Malfoy early was proving to be most worthwhile.

"Aha!"

"It's not illegal," said Luna dreamily. "Professor Dumbledore is taking it." _Great_, thought Harry, _the one person who is least believable._

"And it's not a duelling club!" said Neville defiantly.

"Well, what would you call it then?" Malfoy snapped.

"It's none of your business," Ron retorted, stepping in front of Ginny protectively. "Go away and stop being such a sneak, or one day you'll poke your nose into something that's not good for you, and then you'll be sorry."

Filch gave a loud cough, putting at bay the argument. His eyes glinted as he felt all seven students' attention on him. "Professor Dumbledore has not informed me of any evening activities," he said, unable to stop a smile from creeping over his face.

Hermione heaved a sigh. "Look. I've got his note." She rummaged around in her pockets and brought out a small piece parchment, detailing that Friday's lesson would be outside on the Quidditch pitch, which she unfolded and brandished in Filch's face. The caretaker's expression embittered when he saw Dumbledore's signature at the bottom.

"Hmph. Very well," he admitted reluctantly. Hermione smiled with satisfaction and they proceeded freely through the huge front doors, not before Harry had glanced back and seen Filch grasp Malfoy by the scruff of the neck and haul him back down to the dungeons.

**xXxXx**

"That sly snitch," Harry muttered as they hastened down the steps and into the dim twilight. "Snape warned him to beware of what we were learning. He was trying to stop us from going to the Vallatus lesson."

"Snape warned him?" Hermione said confusedly. "But Snape seemed to think Vallati didn't have much value when we asked him about it in our Defence Against the Dark Arts class."

Harry looked at her knowingly. "I expect Snape wasn't speaking the entire truth to us then. I think he knows that the Vallatus charm has value. He just doesn't want to admit it to us because we know he hasn't ever performed one himself." Ginny scowled disapprovingly.

"Actually, it wasn't just Snape and Malfoy I overheard," Harry said, giving the others a sidelong glance. "Dumbledore came in and talked to Snape. He was trying to get Snape to come along to the class tonight."

"I wish he wouldn't," Ginny said bitterly and Neville nodded emphatically.

"Snape seemed really reluctant," Harry said comfortingly, "But I don't know. Dumbledore reminded Snape that he'd made some promise that he couldn't go back on. Oh! And also that he'd given Snape access to the Mirror."

"_The Mirror of Erised?" _Hermione gasped.

Harry nodded. "I don't know why. Dumbledore asked if it helped him but seeing as Snape was so emotional last night… I don't think it can be…"

Harry was not sure what to expect as they hurried across the wet grass to the Quidditch pitch bathed in shadowy half-light. He was curious to see if Snape had indeed turned up but after witnessing the intensity of his reluctance Harry knew that it would have to be a very significant promise indeed that would coerce Snape into obliging Dumbledore with his presence. Upon nearing the broomstick shed they heard Professor McGonagall's voice and when they rounded the corner Harry's heart gave a little jump as he saw she was talking to Snape.

He had come.

"Why are you looking so miserable, Severus?" McGonagall was nattering on at their Potions teacher. They hung around nearby, not wanting to interrupt, but McGonagall, who was wearing Wellington boots and her tartan hat, had her back to them so she did not realise their approach on the soft ground; she was watching Dumbledore who was not far away, wandering around the pitch and sending purple rings out of the end of his wand like the streams of swelling bubbles that Muggles enjoyed blowing through plastic sticks. They rose up to hang in various positions around the pitch, glowing faintly in the dusk.

"This is not my idea of a good evening, Minerva," Harry heard Snape replying. McGonagall's hat shot to the side as she looked sharply at Snape.

"You don't like the Vallatus charm?" McGonagall replied, her tone of voice utterly appalled. "But it's invaluable! …Well… I suppose last time round the lot _you_ were mingling with didn't see any value in using it…"

"_Minerva!_" Dumbledore shot warningly from off in the mid-distance; clearly he had been listening and was trying to keep the peace.

"But it's true, Albus!" McGonagall persisted, unaware of Snape bristling beside her. "During the war, the two best spells to use were the Patronus and the Vallatus charms, and You-Know-Who's army was foolish enough to not use either!"

"Professor Snape believes that Occlumency is the best defence," Hermione said, joining the conversation so suddenly that it startled Harry and the others as well as McGonagall. Their Head of House spun round, her eyes widening she saw they were all listening in.

"Well – yes. Yes, I suppose you would, Severus," she said, turning back to look at Snape critically. There was a rather sour expression on his face. "It is something you _excel_ at."

There was a somewhat uneasy silence as they all waited for Dumbledore to return and break the tension. Harry shivered as a gust of wind buffed him around the ears and he looked up at the last few orange rays that the sun threw out before sinking below the black trees. Luckily they did not have to wait long for Dumbledore to make a start and instruct them to cast their Vallati and fly them through his purple rings.

They took off into the dusty lilac sky and, coming to float by the nearest ring, Harry took hold of Ginny's hand and took out his wand. As he looked up at Ginny he saw her hair gleaming in the dying sunlight and it struck him just how beautiful she was, framed against the sunset with the ripples on the lake sparkling in the distance. It seemed odd to think that this time tomorrow Malfoy was going upturn the tranquillity of Hogwarts and bring them into the Dark Lord's presence. Right now everything seemed so peaceful. Ginny seemed to read his thoughts and she smiled.

"It's going to be fine, Harry," she said. "You've got us with you."

He nodded. Ron and Hermione had already formed their red Vallatus but it wasn't moving; they seemed to be disagreeing on which way to go. Neville and Luna had succeeded much better than the other times, and after glancing down Harry concluded that it was because they were a substantial distance away from Snape. Instead Snape's eyes were fixed on him. Harry could feel Snape's gaze burning his cheek, even after he turned back to Ginny. It was very off-putting, but Ginny's unwavering trust in him was incredibly comforting. Even as they touched their wandtips together their wands began to vibrate in anticipation of the magic to come.

"_Vocamus vallatus!"_

It came wholly natural to them this time; the blue sphere of light launched outwards like a luminescent flower bursting into bloom and immediately Harry felt a radiant happiness spread throughout his body, something that could only come from being entwined so inextricably with the girl he loved. He held her eyes, savouring the moment, watching the dappled blue light play across her soft features, reaching out to hear her.

_Stop looking at me like that Harry or I will have to kiss you!_

He heard her as if she was whispering right into his ear and his heart fluttered; he still had not got used to the idea that all of their thoughts were shared by an uncensored link. Tingling he grinned ruefully and looked away, nodding towards the purple ring. They began to fly slowly, testing their boundaries and building up the strength of the Vallatus, but soon they were soaring through the dimming sky, feeling the wind in their hair as they streaked over the heads of the teachers like a blue flying star.

Harry's head twitched to look down as they passed by.

_Why is Snape bothering you so?_

Harry's heart jolted. It was strange how Ginny was so aware of what he was paying attention to… but really useful at the same time, he acknowledged, if you were in a battle…

_He won't stop watching us,_ he answered, knowing Ginny would wheedle it out of his thoughts sooner or later.

Ginny dropped down in front of him, blocking Snape from his view and throwing him a reassuring smile behind her. _He's just envious of us_…_! Don't worry about it._

She made him laugh and Harry was grateful to her for it. With a grin he put on a spurt of speed and together they streaked forward, soaring in and out of the purple rings with an ease that reflected their uncontested talents for Quidditch. Shortly after Dumbledore decided that they had had quite enough practice. He clapped his hands and the three Vallati slowly descended to hover near the ground where the three teachers stood, well wrapped up in their long fluttering robes. A heavy dimness was settling all around in the cool evening air.

"We will now proceed to attempt to perpetrate your Vallati as you fly around," Dumbledore explained the plan for their third lesson. "You may also defend yourselves with Expelliarmus and the Body-Bind Curse and the like; but nothing too severe please, as I would like all my limbs intact for tomorrow's ball," he said with eyes twinkling. "You will find that your spells are doubly strong if you cast them together."

He then proceeded to allocate them their pairings for the evening, Neville and Luna with McGonagall again, and Ron and Hermione this time with Snape, to Harry's surprise. "Harry, you and Miss Weasley will be joining me tonight." Harry was sure he saw Dumbledore give him a wink, but just as he was about to beam back he saw the severe displeasure on Snape's face and he caught himself in time.

"Why does Snape look so annoyed that he's not paired with us, when he hates you so much?" Ginny whispered as they both drifted upwards, putting some solid distance between them and Dumbledore.

Harry grimaced. "It's Snape," he said simply. "Can't you see what a temper he's in? It wouldn't make a difference either way - he'd be angry if he had to put up with helping me, and he's angry now because he doesn't have the chance of taking out his temper on me… I'm sorry you have to put up with all of this because you're with me Ginny," Harry added apologetically.

"Don't be silly," Ginny snapped, "we'll show him." They grinned and pulled their brooms round to face Dumbledore. Harry looked up at the shining globe arcing over his head.

_Concentrate_, he willed himself, reaching out for his connection with Ginny before Dumbledore's onslaught began. A warm, light feeling told him that Ginny was doing the same. The sphere brightened, like an everlasting-firework against the dark evening sky. Harry focussed on Dumbledore standing on the pitch below, not feeling anywhere near as nervous as yesterday evening. Rationally he knew he should be warier of Dumbledore's spells, but he instinctively felt that Snape was a far more dangerous wizard to be facing. Streaks of non-verbal spells began to shoot out of Dumbledore's wand towards them.

_Shall we try a spell on Dumbledore?_ Harry wondered as the spells rained down upon their impermeable magical shell. _It feels odd to attack him though._

_Okay, but something harmless_.

_Let's try the tickling charm, _Harry suggested. He heard Ginny's very real snort of laughter. They both moved to face Dumbledore and together casted the spell _Rictusempra!_

At once an expression of great amusement arose over the headmaster's face and his beard began to twitch. "Oh, well done!" he chuckled, allowing them a few more moments of success before he absolved their charm. "That was a wonderful idea."

Elated, they plucked up the courage to move a bit nearer and fight off more of Dumbledore's spells, sending back a few joint Confundus Charms. With Ginny acting as his eyes too, Harry was able to take a moment and observe the others' progress. It seemed that Luna and Neville had decided to use Wingardium Leviosa on McGonagall's wand instead of Expelliarmus so that it was hovering tantalisingly out of reach above her tartan hat, while Hermione had conjured up a flock of her favourite canaries. Snape seemed unfazed by this seemingly innocuous charm but Harry knew better; he was just in time to hear her and Ron's shouts of _Oppugno_ and witness the yellow birds envelope Snape in a flurry of yellow feathers and talons, a sight that would last in his memory for quite some time.

Harry's glee was infectious. He could feel Ginny's brilliant smile and the Vallatus was so large and glassy that it was entirely impenetrable to Dumbledore's spells. His eyes kept being drawn back to the red Vallatus, in which Ron was howling with joy and Hermione appeared anxious that her spell on their Potions teacher had been too effective, and down to Snape's struggling figure below. He eventually Vanished the birds but he was left with fiery welts on his cheeks and hands and he looked _very_ angry at being tormented in front of his least favourite students. Unfortunately Harry was too slow to tear his eyes away from the scene; Snape looked up and immediately registered Harry's blatant thoughts.

_Oh dear_… he murmured, alerting Ginny to the fury that had bottled up inside Snape. The Potions master gave an irritable snarl and like a startled snake unleashed a malicious spell targeted straight at them. It burst upon their Vallatus in a great shower of crackling sparks and Harry felt his broom tremble violently, as if its core magic was being threatened.

He quickly turned to look at Ginny, who also momentarily took her eyes off Dumbledore. "I thought we were only meant to be duelling one teacher at a time?" Harry was so shocked that he voiced his consternation aloud.

_What just happened?_ Ginny replied as she shot a Shield Charm down at Dumbledore for extra protection while Harry's concentration was dispersed.

_Snape!_ was all Harry could answer before he saw Snape raise his wand again and shoot spells at first Ron and Hermione's Vallatus and then theirs. Harry quickly sought for his connection with Ginny to uphold their blue Vallatus before Snape's spell struck again.

_Crikey, Harry, are we meant to fight them both at once?_

Harry glanced at Dumbledore, who seemed pleasantly unaware of Snape's intervention and was calmly firing his jets up at their Vallatus without a shred of distraction apparent. Their Vallatus rattled again as if buffeted by a fierce gale.

_I guess so…_ Harry gritted his teeth and pulled his broom round to face the source of the strike, rancorous annoyance creeping over him. Why did Snape always have to poke his spiteful nose into business that wasn't his?

"What's your problem?" Harry yelled, searching his mind for something that would put Snape at bay. He had only just opened his mouth when he heard Snape cry -

"Manners, Potter! _Diffindo!_"

Harry felt the air knocked out of him and stars flocked in front of his eyes. Seconds later, they dispelled and he looked fearfully around, seeing the Vallatus still quivering like thin glass at Snape's attempt to make it shatter.

_Impervius! Protego horribilis!_ He hurriedly cast a few non-verbal spells to strengthen the Vallatus and make it repel any more of Snape's curses. Ginny quickly did the same.

"Haven't you done _enough_ damage as it is, Potter?" Snape snarled venomously, turning from Ron and Hermione and slowly heading towards them. "Haven't you been taught that it's _impolite_ to laugh at another's expense?" Snape trembled with unloosed rage and another bullet of bright light shot out of his wand and pummelled upon their Vallatus. Harry gulped.

_Why isn't Dumbledore stepping in? _Ginny sounded a little frightened. Harry took a quick look over his shoulder; Dumbledore had refrained from sending spells at them, but instead of rushing to stop Snape he was looking on with the same attentiveness and pleasant interest as if this was just another Quidditch game. He noticed Professor McGonagall was marching briskly towards them from the other end of the pitch. Then Ginny shuddered and drew Harry's attention away from the others; Harry found that her brown eyes were momentarily locked… with Snape's.

"Incarcerous!" Harry shouted furiously, darting in front of Ginny with his robes swirling around in the wind. As he'd hoped it broke Snape's eye-contact but he merely deflected Harry's spell away with a lazy flick of his wand and lashed out with another battering curse.

_Any ideas? _Harry begged Ginny to come up with something quickly before they could no longer hold the Vallatus.

_The bat-bogey hex!_

Harry couldn't help the smile from tugging at the corner of his mouth as he pointed his wand and joined in with Ginny's powerful incantation.

_Ha! Very appropriate!_

_I'm glad you think so_, Ginny answered coolly as they admired their handiwork, Snape temporarily enveloped in a swarming cluster of great sticky flapping things which he swatted at ferociously, making the trailing sleeves of his robes ripple undulatingly as if they were bat wings themselves. They heard him exude a rattling hiss as he tried to recollect the correct counter-curse from the myriad he was rumoured to be learned in.

"Quick, while he's occupied," Harry whispered, and they quickly put on speed and soared towards him, hoping to silence him once and for all. Sputtering the counter-curse and emerging with a lock of black hair plastered across his face, Snape raised eyes shaking with glinting fury up to the approaching pair.

"Impedimenta!" He stopped them just in time; there was such a pain in Harry's neck that he thought he had experienced whiplash.

"Why are you even here anyway?" Harry complained loudly, rubbing his neck and bracing himself for the next onslaught. "You've never even made a Vallatus in your life! Are you just here to make my life as miserable as you can?"

At this Snape, irked, flicked his hair out of his eyes and hurled a non-verbal curse at them. There was a second of bitter coldness that made the blue rippling veins of the Vallatus temporarily freeze and Harry's teeth rattle like ice cubes in his head; and then they were released. "Don't be so dense, Potter! Are you really that narrow-minded? Your mental abilities must be worse than I thought," he clipped scathingly.

Harry scowled, distracted from what he was meant to be doing. "All you ever do is make my life go from bad to worse!" he shot. "You're not helping us, just go away."

Snape's eyes blackened, as cold as stone. "You're just like your father, bemoaning your own pitiful fate with no regard for others, no thought that they may actually be acting for you!" His voice was quiet, but so dangerously low that it carried unchecked like a chill on the wind, reaching out its tendrils and scraping along their nerves as sharp as a knife-edge, ready to slit into their flesh. Harry shivered under those demented eyes, eyes that overwhelmed with wrath he could not understand and did not know how to restrain. "…You just _love_ the limelight, do you not? Wallowing in your own self-pity, too arrogant to get off your pedestal, too lazy to stop others from laying themselves down for you, too dim-witted to see your own mistakes… Right from the start-"

"You never even gave me a chance!" Harry cried, butting over Snape's snarky comments, and there was a tone of hurt in his voice. He strained to hold onto Ginny's connection and uphold their protection. "You hated me from the moment you set eyes on me. What did I do to you? Be _born?_"

Something snapped in Snape's pit-like eyes.

"_EXPULSO!"_

"ALBUS!"

Harry gasped, tears pricking his eyes as the remains of the ruthless spell roared in his ears, but he heard Professor McGonagall's cry of outrage.

"Severus, cease this at _once_… Albus! Albus, make this stop! This is absurd! Harry is not James!" But Harry did not hear Dumbledore halt Snape's onslaught.

As his vision swam back into view, Harry searched for a glimpse of Ginny, terrified that Snape's attempt to explode their Vallatus had caused it to shatter and Ginny to fall from her broom. But as the haze rolled back he saw a coppery gleam in the faint, misty blue light of a very thin Vallatus. Ginny brushed her hair out of her eyes, and raised a shaken but weakly smiling face.

_I'm okay, Harry, we're okay…_

But it was not over. Harry turned back to look down at Snape, his breaths quickening, and saw that Snape was totally oblivious to all else aside from him, Harry. He knew that look of such finely-tuned intent. _Nothing _was going to stop him.

With horror Harry saw Snape begin to rise up into the air – right up – he had no broom, but beneath his outstretched arms his long black robes billowed like great black bat wings and his eyes were pitched determinedly on his. Harry shuddered convulsantly. It was like one of his nightmares. He was instantly reminded of his encounters here on this Quidditch pitch with Dementors and only one spell came to mind that might now impede Snape's attack. He looked back into Snape's eyes defiantly and, praying that Ginny was in tune to his instincts, bellowed,

"_Expecto patronum!"_

Harry was momentarily blinded by a flash of brilliant white light. Squinting he saw the Vallatus morph into a globe of silver, emanating so much light he felt like he had been swallowed up by the moon. He was just able to discern the ghostly form of his stag charge forwards to intercept Snape while Ginny's unsaddled horse cantered freely around their protective bubble.

But as Harry's eyes accustomed to the dazzling light, he watched the expression on Snape's face alter as he discerned Harry's Patronus. All signs of hatred melted away and his eyes, previously narrow slits of bitterness, were now round and like a calmed storm. Without knowing why, Harry called his Patronus to halt its attack. The stag looked head on at Snape, who lingered there in mid-air, like a fearful bird stopped hesitantly in midflight. Harry was confused at that strange, undecipherable look on his teacher's face.

_What's going on?_ Ginny didn't understand just as much as him. He felt her bring her broom close to his side and tense, as if she thought that this was a trick. At her movement Snape's eyes flickered away from the silvery deer to the mirage of Ginny he could pick out through the gleaming Vallatus. A frown knitted his eyebrows together. Then with a swoosh of his cloak he had turned and was soaring back down to the earth.

"W-wait!" Harry heard himself cry. "What are you doing?" He sped after Snape and Ginny joined him, their Patronuses cantering along side by side. As he touched the ground, Snape turned and slowly looked up at Harry, who was rapidly bearing down on him. "Are you not going to fight back?" Harry demanded, feeling far more incensed Snape's feigned retreat. "You coward! Are you so weak that you cannot even cast a Patronus?"

_Harry, don't goad him…_

But Ginny's uncertainty could not sway him, not now, not when Snape had gone this far. "Is McGonagall right? Can the infamous Professor Snape really not cast either a Vallatus or a Patronus?"

It struck a nerve.

Snape's eyes flashed, but the extravagant flourish of his wand and the spell that parted from his lips was _nothing_ what Harry could have predicted. He heard the incantation but could still not believe his eyes even when a silver, four-legged Patronus streaked out of the end of his wand into the air between them, running for all its worth towards Harry's stationary stag. It moved so fast that the animal was not much more than a blur and as the two Patronuses met and Snape's doe stilled, either the force of the collision of the Patronuses or the shock of recognising its form caused their Vallatus to be driven backwards as if jolted by something huge with a massive weight of consequence. Harry held onto his broom for dear life and reached out for Ginny, gripping her wand hand as tightly as he could while they were thrown hopelessly across the pitch.

Once their Vallatus had slowed down to a gentle drift, Harry opened his eyes. Everything was much darker again. Their Vallatus was back to its tranquil blue, and the Patronuses, all three, had gone. Ginny blinked rapidly, trying to bring her thumping heart back under control. Harry could hear it pulsing in his ears.

_It's okay…_ he soothed and gently let go of her hand.

After all the shouting and noise, it was suddenly very quiet. Snape's form was barely visible on the ground, not much more than a stationary silhouette. Harry let his breathing settle down… _it was over_.

They heard Dumbledore's soft voice, "_Accio!"_ and together with the others' Vallati they were drawn back to the ground near the three teachers. Harry didn't mind. Even though he still felt very much fired-up by Snape's provocation he could feel that Ginny was tiring and their Vallatus was beginning to wane. Moreover he wanted to suss out of Dumbledore his reason for simply letting Snape attack him and Ginny when Snape was clearly in a vicious, unbalanced and feral state of mind.

Harry was not sure how much of the confrontation the others had witnessed but he didn't look at them as they congregated on the ground; his eyes were first occupied with Snape, who had turned his back and was slowly wandering away, and then with Dumbledore, who was nodding calmly to himself, a sign that filled Harry with annoyance. However one slight consolation was that Professor McGonagall looked equally annoyed. Harry could not believe how Dumbledore was striving to sweep over what had just happened as if – well, as if nothing had happened.

"I am very pleased with your progress tonight," he said. "Minerva, how do you think Miss Lovegood and Mr Longbottom fared?"

McGonagall spluttered. "You- well, they performed much better this evening, very well indeed, but _Albus,_" she gave him her sternest look. "I am Potter and Miss Weasley's Head of House! I cannot allow you to permit such –" she took a nifty glance at Snape's turned back a few yards away and lowered her voice to a carrying whisper, "- _behaviour_ against them without good, and I mean it Albus, _good_ reason!" She placed her hands squarely on her hips and glared at the Headmaster with a hard-set expression, her nostrils flaring angrily.

"My dear Minerva," Dumbledore sighed and laid a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened, refusing to be dissuaded. "Do you really think I would let any harm come to Harry or Ginny? Do you think Severus would want to hurt them?"

Professor McGonagall muttered something that sounded very much like, "Are you blind?" But Harry could see Snape's head was turned ever so slightly to the side as if he was trying to listen but did not have the face to join them. He glowered at Snape's back.

"All is well," Dumbledore said, speaking now to Ginny and Harry, and forcing Harry to stop sending daggers towards Snape's hulking form. When he met the Headmaster's eyes he was surprised to find that all he saw was sincerity. "I had surmised that you two make a very capable team, and indeed you held up most proficiently the in formidable test you faced tonight. I can now rest assured that you are fully prepared."

Dumbledore was looking directly at Harry and something was registering in Harry's brain… the prophecy they had discussed… Draco Malfoy's conspiracy tomorrow… and then he realised: _Dumbledore had been preparing him for the fight ahead_…

The silver-haired headmaster gave Harry a nod before turning to face the others. He dismissed them all and also encouraged them to take a look at the book Hermione had been reading on Vallati; at this Hermione swelled with pride.

They wound their way across the Quidditch pitch, now realising just how cold the night air was as it snapped at their ears and their noses and crept down under their skin. It must have been late; only a few patches of light were left gleaming from the castle walls, and the sky was pitch black. Professor McGonagall hustled past them, her lips pursed and clearly dissatisfied with her colleague's behaviour. When she got out of earshot they all visibly relaxed as if they could talk about the eventful Vallatus class.

Ron let out a slow whistle. "Bloody hell, Harry, it looked like Snape really wanted to kill you back there!" he said seriously in a hushed voice. "Does Dumbledore not realise that Snape is trying to help Malfoy, and Malfoy is trying to get to you?"

"He must do," Harry shrugged. He could feel them all looking at him, as if he held all the answers. "He knows the prophecy, and if we know that something's going on, I'm sure Dumbledore does."

"But that was Dumbledore giving Snape experience so he knows how to attack you!" Ron exclaimed. "Come on, don't you agree?" he gaped, looking round at all the unsure faces surrounding him.

Hermione sighed. "Snape used to be a Death Eater, Dumbledore probably just wants Harry and Ginny to know what it's really like fighting someone like that whilst holding their Vallatus."

"Well then, why didn't he pair Ginny and Harry up with Snape from the start?" Ron demanded. Hermione pursed her lips.

"Perhaps he wanted to make it easier for everyone by not putting Harry with Snape," Luna said, absent-mindedly trailing a vine of stars from her wand. "But then when he saw that Snape was happier duelling Harry again-" at this Harry snorted, "-he realised, actually maybe it was a good idea to let them duel."

Hermione had a funny look on her face that suggested that she was so surprised that Luna was talking something that had a far greater percentage of sense in it than usual that she was temporarily sidetracked.

"But Harry," she said, finally turning to him, "that was really wrong of you to speak to Professor Snape like that. You know yourself you would normally get a month's worth of detentions for hounding him like that."

"Yeah, instead he nearly got jinxed to shreds," Ginny muttered.

Hermione ignored her. "You know it's true, Harry," she said. "Something you said really hit a nerve. I think you should go and apologise."

Ron looked aghast. Ginny looked furious.

"Hermione's right," said Luna dreamily, shocking no one more than Hermione herself. "Snape's not all that bad… and he did cast a Patronus, when you said he couldn't." Neville looked terrified at the thought that Luna had forgotten Snape's character but Harry had stopped walking.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he agreed. "Look, I'll see you guys tomorrow. We'll meet after breakfast and decide what we're going to do about… everything," he ended wearily. He turned and trudged back towards the pitch. It was dark but he could discern where Dumbledore and Snape were by the sparks emanating from Dumbledore's wand as he finished erasing all trace of his purple rings. As he got closer he saw that Snape had still not moved from his position, hunched over and shielding himself from the sight of the Quidditch pitch. Harry slowed down and watched while Dumbledore joined Snape's side.

"I am proud of you for coming tonight Severus," Harry heard Dumbledore saying. Snape's outline froze.

"_Proud?_" he sneered. "That is what happens when you open up a raw wound, Dumbledore. I take no pride in it whatsoever."

"I do not blame you for rising up like that. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision all those years ago, when you came pleading to let you join the Vallatus class. Things could have turned out so very differently…"

"I didn't plead…" muttered Snape, but he didn't object otherwise.

After a moment Dumbledore heaved a sigh, as if the burden of the last twenty years was weighing down on his chest. "But you were very different then…" he said quietly, as if trying to comfort himself.

"No. Not really," Snape contradicted.

Silence fell again. Harry awkwardly shifted his feet and gave a timid cough.

Dumbledore turned round, quickly followed by Snape. "Ah, Harry! Are you alright? Have you forgotten something?"

His heart was bounding up and down in his chest so forcefully that he thought it might jump out of his mouth at any moment. He hesitantly parted his lips. "Actually, sir," his eyes drifted across to meet Snape's unfathomable black ones, "I wanted to apologise." A heavy crease formed on Snape's brow, narrowing his eyes. Harry hastily looked down and fiddled with the ends of his sleeves.

"Excuse me?" Snape drawled softly. "What _precisely_ are you on about, Potter?"

Harry gulped. At this rate, Snape would surely presume that he'd only hung back to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"I shouldn't have, y'know, doubted your ability with… well, with the Patronus, and… err… said those other things…" he trailed off vaguely, studying the mud slicked up the sides of his shoes.

"What are you blithering on about? Are your brains as muddled as they are dense?" Snape sneered. Harry chanced a look at his Potions teacher, who at first sight looked as cold as ever, but then Harry noticed something slightly anxious flickering in his eyes. He quickly dropped his gaze and scratched his forehead. Talk about dense. He suspected that Snape was just trying to shun the subject.

"I just – well, never mind." He wasn't quite sure what made him do it himself. This was a rubbish idea of Hermione's – trust Luna to back it up, if that wasn't a bad sign then what was_?_ Maybe the subject of their confrontation _was_ better avoided. All he knew was that he didn't want to be here anymore. The awkwardness of standing here with Snape looking at him as if he was utterly retarded was unbearable.

"Then go back to the castle, Potter, and next time think before you open that blabbering mouth of yours."

Harry didn't need telling twice. He gave a quick '_goodnight'_ to Dumbledore and then quickly strode back up towards the broom shed. After a few paces he broke into a flat-out run, the memories of the evening chasing him like a hoard of bloodthirsty Acromantula.

**Reviews are most welcome :)**


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